Drivers are advised to avoid when possible North Atherton Street near the intersection with Park Avenue as gas line work is expected to cause travel delays in the area into next week.
Allegheny Contracting is performing the utility work on behalf of Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania in advance of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s project for improvements to Atherton Street between Park Avenue and West Aaron Drive. Repaving of the road is scheduled for 2018.
State College Borough Council approved last month a noise ordinance waiver for Columbia to conduct the work overnight between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Overnight work was requested because of decreased pedestrian and vehicle traffic during those hours, making the work zone safer and reducing the needed construction time in the area.
According to an update on Wednesday from the borough, Allegheny encountered ‘underground utility conflicts’ early on in the work and has reverted to working during daytime hours, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
‘They anticipate having this gas utility work in the North Atherton Street and West Park Avenue intersection completed by the middle of next week,’ according to the borough.
After completing work at the intersection, Allegheny will continue with gas line relocation and replacement as needed during daytime hours along North Atherton Street. Gas line work is expected to continue into the fall.
Motorists should seek alternate routes whenever possible during the work hours to reduce congestion.
Atherton Street is a state highway and PennDOT is the permitting agency for the work and and work zone traffic controls.
‘We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this project and appreciate your patience while we are all coordinating for the upcoming street improvements to be completed by PennDOT,’ the borough’s update stated.
