The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Thursday released a full draft study that evaluated mobility needs in southern Centre County and narrowed the options for the planned State College College Area Connector project from nine to three.
A Planning and Environmental Linkage study, conducted with the Federal Highway Administration, evaluated existing and projected transportation needs within a 70-square-mile area in the U.S. Route 322, state Route 45 and state route 144 corridor, where the existing road network and configurations cause safety concerns and lack continuity.
“Traffic forecasts show total traffic volumes increasing in the area nearly 31% and truck volumes increasing nearly 35% between 2017 and 2050,” according to the draft PEL study. “These roadways will be unable to accommodate the additional vehicles thus causing additional congestion, travel delays and negatively affecting safety.”
The 123-page draft study further details key information that has already been released about the project to improve the connection from the Seven Mountains area of Route 322 into the State College area and Interstates 99 and 80. Public review and comment is open for a 30-day period. All comments must be received by March 19 and should be submitted electronically to Dean Ball, PE at Deball@pa.gov or in writing to PennDOT District 2-0, 70 PennDOT Drive, Clearfield, PA 16830, Attn: Dean Ball, PE.
In September, PennDOT narrowed the options to three potential “build alternative” routes for further study in the current Route 322 corridor in Potter and Harris townships. It eliminated alternatives in the Route 144 corridor routes that would have gone over Centre Hall Mountain, as well as upgrading the existing Route 322 in the study area.
The three options — US 322-1OEX, US 322-1S and US 322-5 — each would connect U.S. 322 at the Mt. Nittany Expressway in Boalsburg and US 322 at Potters Mills Gap, where a four-lane section of highway was completed in 2021. The link would essentially complete a four-lane highway from Harrisburg to State College and beyond.
Both US 322-1OEX and US 322-1S would have an interchange with a connecter road between Route 45 and U.S. 322.
Each build alternative is about 8 miles long and is projected to divert nearly 53% of the total traffic and 73% of truck traffic from the local road network. Estimated costs range from $432 million and $517 million.
Harris Township supervisors and property owners in the proposed corridor have raised concerns about the potential alignments, stating the homes and longtime family farms may be lost, property values damaged and the rural character of the area forever altered. The potential connector between Route 45 and U.S. 322 has raised worries about safety issues, pollution, damage to residential areas and Route 45 being ill-equipped to handle increased traffic.
The PEL study is the first of five phases of advancing a transportation project. After the study is finalized, it will be followed by preliminary engineering and environmental studies, final engineering design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.
