STATE COLLEGE — As Penn State students make their way back onto the University Park campus, incomplete construction projects have the potential to impact congestion and the overall flow of traffic in the area. Some of the current construction projects are looking to wrap up in the coming weeks.
FRASER STREET
A block of South Fraser Street has been closed to vehicle traffic between Calder Way and West College Avenue for sewer and waterline replacements. According to the State College Borough, the block is expected to reopen sometime during the week of Monday, Aug. 12.
Access to the Fraser Street Parking Garage is still possible via West Beaver Avenue.
ALLEN STREET
A portion of South Allen Street has been closed to traffic since Monday, May 20. Between College Avenue and Calder Way has been blocked off to drivers for utility replacements. The borough explained in a statement that work was delayed due to “an unforeseen utility issue.”
Despite the delay in construction, work is back on track. Though an expected completion date has yet to be announced, drivers can still access the upper portion of South Allen Street from Beaver Avenue. Furthermore, Calder Way will remain closed to vehicles between Pugh Street and Allen Street but will be open to pedestrians. Calder Way between Allen Street and Fraser Street will continue to be closed to both drivers and pedestrians.
The Fraser Street and Allen Street construction is part of a multi-year Calder Way project aiming to replace aging infrastructure and create a more pedestrian friendly environment downtown.
Future aspects of the project are expected to continue through 2027 and will include work consistent with the projects currently being executed.
ATHERTON STREET
The South Atherton project, another multi-year effort, has made progress over the summer months. According to PennDOT, the Atherton Street project started in July 2022 and has an expected finish of November 2024.
As of the latest updates from PennDOT, construction crews are working on the long-term traffic control pattern between College Avenue and Curtin Road.
The work includes “roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements that include pipes and inlets, water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks and detectable warning surfaces, pavement markings, traffic signals and supports, and miscellaneous items. HRI, Inc. of State College is the contractor on this $30.7 million project. PennDOT anticipates the contractor completing the project in the fall of 2024, but all work is weather-dependent.”
Flaggers have been seen along Atherton enforcing alternating lanes of travel, where drivers take turns passing through the construction zone.
In a statement on its most recent update, PennDOT reminded drivers that “intermittent traffic stops are possible for short periods during work activities and urges drivers to use caution when traveling through the work zone. PennDOT also reminds drivers not to follow construction equipment into the closed lane and to use both lanes to the merge point to minimize traffic back-ups and shorten travel delays when approaching the work zone.”
Work includes “roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements that include pipes and inlets, water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks and detectable warning surfaces, pavement markings, traffic signals and supports, and miscellaneous items. HRI, Inc. of State College is the contractor on this $30.7 million project. PennDOT anticipates the contractor completing the project in the fall of 2024, but all work is weather-dependent.”
FREE TWO-HOUR PARKING
In an effort to support local businesses during the ongoing construction and road work, the State College Borough and the Downtown State College Improvement District are offering free two-hour parking.
“Downtown Businesses have been extremely patient and cooperative during the course of the summer construction season, which has gone into overdrive,” Even Myers, State College Borough president, said at the council meeting on Monday, Aug. 5.
From Tuesday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 18, the free parking will be available at all municipal meters, garages and lots, with no validation necessary. The free parking leads up to students moving back into downtown apartments ahead of Penn State’s first day of classes, scheduled to start on Monday, Aug. 26.
Lee Anne Jeffries, executive director of DSCID, told the borough council that downtown businesses have reported a 20-30% loss in business over the course of the last summer.
“After a season of construction disruptions, we hope this initiative will make it easier for the community to explore and support our local businesses,” she said.
