With construction underway on the new West Campus Parking Deck, Penn State wrestling fans will encounter changes to where they can park for the remainder of the Nittany Lions’ home season.
In an advisory on Thursday, Penn State Transportation Services said that 275 Red A lot parking spaces are now permanently closed, significantly reducing the number of spots available in that lot for Penn State wrestling events.
If both Red A and the Nittany Parking Deck reach capacity, Eisenhower Parking Deck will be available for wrestling parking for the rest of the season. No ticket or permit will be required. As is the case with Red A and Nittany Deck, parking will only be available beginning 90 minutes prior to the start of the event through 90 minutes after it has concluded.
‘Fans are encouraged to arrive as early as possible for the best chance at parking at Red A or Nittany Deck and to have ample time to reach Rec Hall if directed to park at Eisenhower Deck,’ the advisory said.
Transportation Services also offers an evening/weekend parking permit for $6 per month, providing access to most faculty/staff parking areas across campus — including several lots closer to Rec Hall than Eisenhower Deck — on weekdays after 4 p.m. and all day on Saturdays and Sundays.
Penn State wrestling’s next home meet is at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10.
Plans for the new six-level six-level garage, which will be located on the current site of Red Lot A adjacent to the Earth and Engineering Science Building, were approved by the Penn State Board of Trustees in November.
The $60.57 million structure, which will consolidate existing surface lots on the west side of Atherton Street and provide 1,653 parking spaces. The garage will result in a net of about 400 new parking spaces and will be the largest parking structure in Centre County.
Consolidating the surface lots then allows Penn State to develop the area for new College of Engineering buildings, with plans to construct three new facilities. The college’s master plan calls for relocating much of its activities to new buildings on west campus and demolishing old, outdated facilities, including Hammond Building and the Engineering Units, over the next decade.
Since the project was brought forward in 2018, the potential traffic impacts have drawn concerns from local residents. An initial plan proposed two access points, one via White Course Drive off of North Atherton Street and add another connecting road extending South Buckhout Street off of West College Avenue to the new garage.
After Holmes-Foster residents spoke out about a potential increase in traffic through neighborhood streets, that plan was modified to include only one access point from White Course Drive via North Atherton Street. College Heights residents objected to that, saying a single access point from North Atherton Street would add to already growing traffic issues, though they stressed they were not advocating for a connection to Holmes-Foster.
Plans for the deck were conditionally approved by the borough in the fall, pending the completion of the most recent traffic impact study. The study was completed and approved, along with a highway occupancy permit, by the borough and PennDOT in December. The study maintains that the garage’s impact on traffic growth will be minimal.
The majority of the new deck will be reserved for commuter parking, but will also have about 400 spaces for long-term student parking. It will have two CATA bus stops and an expanded stormwater basin that will have capacity for future west campus buildings. The ground floor will have a bicycle workshop and storage and the roof will be designed to accommodate future installation of solar panels.
White Course Drive will be extended as part of the project.
A west campus parking garage has been in the university’s plans for about 20 years. Construction began on Dec. 16.
