Sewer Repairs Planned near Old Main; Road, Sidewalk Closures Anticipated

UPDATED @ 9:18 a.m. Oct. 28: The pedestrian detour and Pollock Road closure stemming from this work are now scheduled for 3 p.m. to midnight Sunday. The post below has been updated to reflect the new timing.

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Earlier report, posted @ 8:27 a.m. Oct. 28:

Sewer repairs near Old Main will prompt a pedestrian detour Sunday, Penn State spokesman Geoff Rushton said.

Sewer-line problems near Henderson Building were detected last week, he wrote in an e-mail message. Specifically, an underground sewer line parallel to the Pugh Street Mall sidewalk — on the east side of the Old Main Lawn — needs to be replaced, Rushton said.

The line is ‘old and (runs) beneath elm trees, so (it) will be replaced in such a way that the whole thing does not need to be dug up,’ he wrote.

Workers will fuse together a new pipe and pull it underground, Rushton explained. ‘It will need to cross Pollock Road and several sidewalks.’

On-site work is scheduled to begin about 3 p.m. Sunday. The adjacent portion of Pollock Road and nearby sidewalks will see closures between 3 p.m. and midnight, Rushton said. A pedestrian detour will be in effect.

‘Areas will reopen sequentially as the pipe is pulled in, and it is expected the entire pipe will be pulled in within that time frame,’ he wrote. ‘Additional work inside the manholes will continue into early next week, but that will not affect traffic.’