As Penn State football welcomes fans back to Beaver Stadium on Saturday for the first time in nearly two years, Nittany Lion faithful traveling from across Pennsylvania and beyond should be aware of road work and travel conditions when they head to State College.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation advises State College-bound motorists traveling from the east and west of road work they may encounter along the way.
• Interstate 80 at Bellefonte: Overnight work on the local interchange/Route 26 project at the I-80 Bellefonte exit (161) began earlier this week. That work may require the contractor to close the right (travel) lane in some instances, in which all westbound traffic will utilize the temporary crossover.
“PennDOT does not expect the new traffic pattern to result in any significant travel delays but urges motorists making their way to the stadium to exercise caution and be on the lookout for construction vehicles entering or exiting the work zone,” according to a news release
• From Western Pennsylvania: On Route 322 westbound near Philipsburg, traffic is reduced to a single lane between Decatur Hill/Graham Station Road and Route 53 while crews construct a 1-mile center turning lane. The construction could cause traffic congestion before and after the game.
On I-80 eastbound, reconstruction of the Route 970/Woodland interchange at mile marker 123 continues. Both lanes remain open, but PennDOT urges motorists to exercise caution while traveling through the work zone
• From the Harrisburg area: All four lanes of the new Route 322 alignment between Sand Mountain Road and Potters Mills are open to traffic. PennDOT advises drivers to follow signage in the area as GPS information may not be up-to-date on all platforms.
Motorists heading to Penn State home football games throughout the fall can get real-time travel information at www.511PA.com/psf.
The special page for Penn State football travel info is available every Thursday before home games through the Monday after the game.
The page monitors traffic conditions on the primary travel routes to the event. Travel times and alerts are provided for each parking zone: West Zone (access via Atherton Street to Park Avenue); East Zone (access via U.S. 322/I-99 to Park Avenue); North Zone (access via Fox Hollow Road); and South Zone (access via University Drive and Porter Road from College Avenue/U.S. 26).
Users can see incidents, construction, weather forecasts and alerts, traffic cameras and traffic speeds on the map. The page also includes the Beaver Stadium parking map.
PennDOT also will post real-time travel information on message signs and broadcast audio messages on highway advisory radio systems to assist travelers.
Beaver Stadium parking lots open at 8 a.m. and the one-way traffic patterns around the stadium go into effect at 11:30 a.m. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m.
One-way outbound traffic patterns are in effect for approximately 60 to 90 minutes after the game ends.
Throughout the season one-way traffic begins at 8:30 a.m. for noon games and four hours prior to kickoff for all other games.
New this year, fans purchasing parking passes on the day of the game will first be directed to 100 Innovation Boulevard at Innovation Park to buy a $60 passes then to an open lot.
