A section of South Allen Street in downtown State College will be closed to traffic for crews to begin work on a water main replacement as part of the borough’s ongoing Calder Way project, according to a news release.
The 100 block of South Allen Street between College Avenue and Calder Way is scheduled to be closed during daytime hours until 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday as the contractor begins preparation for the water main work at the Allen and Calder intersection. The closure on those days may extend as late as 7 p.m. if any unforeseen challenges arise, Elton Hayes, the borough’s project spokesman, told StateCollege.com.
After Tuesday, the closure will become more long-term.
On Wednesday, fencing will be installed at the Calder Way intersections and near the sidewalks along Allen Street between Calder and College ahead of the replacement work.
“At this point, it will be a more permanent, long-term closure until the work is complete,” Hayes wrote in an email
The upper part of the block between Calder Way and Beaver Avenue will remain open to local traffic only.
Other Calder Way work during the week will include the continuation of storm sewer piping and communications conduit installation between McAllister Alley and Pugh Street. A long-term closure remains in place on Calder between McAllister Street and Pugh Street .
Flaggers will be on South Allen Street and at the intersection of Pugh Street and Calder Way to assist with vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The work is part of the mulit-year Calder Way project to replace aging utility infrastructure and create a more pedestrian friendly space on the downtown alley,
First phase work on the project is occurring this year between McAllister and South Fraser streets. It includes replacement of sanitary sewer, stormwater, water main and gas main lines and providing provisions for electric and telecommunications lines to be moved underground. Some utility replacement is also taking place on Kelly and Humes alleys, as well as at the Allen Street intersection.
Future phases through 2027 will involve similar work on the rest of the road, with the project bordered by Hiester and South Burrowes streets.
The overall project aims to transform Calder Way into a “pedestrian-preferred” corridor with limited vehicular traffic, “replacing curbed sidewalks with more artistic measures and the incorporation of other streetscape enhancements from Hiester to Burrowes,” according to the borough’s 2023-27 Capital Improvement Plan.
Streetscape and transportation work will include widened sidewalks to provide an at-grade pathway using stamped concrete, ADA upgrades at all intersections with detectable warning devices. The project plans also call for installation of retractable bollards for traffic control and new lighting, greenery and public art.
The first phase is funded by a a $2.4 million low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (Pennvest), as well as American Rescue Plan Act funds set aside for the project and $1.7 million from the State College Borough Water Authority for replacement of a water main that has reached the end of its useful life.
State College also received in late 2023 $2.75 million in grants to replace aging water, sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastructure on Calder Way from Pennsylvania’s Small Water and Sewer Program and H20 PA, which are funded from American Rescue Plan Act money and administered by the Commonwealth Finance Authority.
