Detours to Be in Place as Work on Atherton Street Project Resumes

Motorists will encounter significant detours as a contractor resumes work next week on PennDOT’s Atherton Street project in State College.

From Monday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Aug. 28, South Atherton Street will be closed around the clock in both directions between West College and West Beaver avenues for work to upgrade the sanitary sewer system, according to a PennDOT news release on Monday. The closure includes the Beaver Avenue intersection. PennDOT’s official Atherton Street and Beaver Avenue detours, detailed below, will be in effect during this time.

Atherton Street will continue to be closed in both direction between College and Beaver Avenues from Monday, Aug. 29, through Tuesday, Sept. 6, but the Beaver Avenue intersection will remain open during that time. PennDOT’s Atherton Street Eastbound and Atherton Street Westbound detours will be in effect.

Work could potentially take place on Labor Day, Sept. 5, according to PennDOT.

The official vehicle detours are as followed and are primarily geared toward commercial traffic. Drivers of non-commercial vehicles who are familiar with the area may take alternate routes, according to PennDOT.

• Atherton Street Detour: Park Avenue to University Drive, University Drive to Route 26, Route 26 to Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway. Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway to Route 3010 (Warner Boulevard)
• Beaver Avenue Detour: Route 45 to Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway, Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway to Route 26.
• Atherton Street Eastbound Detour: North Atherton Street to West College Avenue, West College Avenue to Buckhout Street, Buckhout Street to Beaver Avenue, Beaver Avenue to South Atherton Street.
• Atherton Street Westbound Detour: South Atherton Street to Beaver Avenue, Beaver Avenue to High Street, High Street to East College Avenue, East College Avenue to North Atherton Street.

Pedestrian detours will be in place during the work as well. Primary crossing points during the sewer upgrades will be at the intersections of Atherton Street and College Avenue and Atherton Street and Beaver Avenue.

“However, the detour routes will be fluid depending on where crews are working and may need to be adjusted,” according to a PennDOT news release. “In some instances, the contractor may direct pedestrians that need to cross at College Avenue to do so at Beaver Avenue instead and vice versa. The contractor intends to place advanced signage in those instances.”

The new phase of PennDOT’s Atherton Street project stretches from Curtin Road on North Atherton Street to just past Westerly Parkway on South Atherton Street and is expected to last until fall 2024.

Similar to the last phase of Atherton Street work, which spanned from Aaron Drive to Curtin Road between 2018 and 2020, the multi-year project will include roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks and detectable warning surfaces, pavement markings and traffic signals and supports.

Work also will incorporate the borough’s streetscape project between West Beaver Avenue and Railroad Avenue. State College received a $935,000 state grant in 2018 for the project, which is designed for pedestrian safety and traffic calming, with new sidewalk, pavers, decorative lighting, benches and garbage receptacles, as well as pedestrian fencing between West College and West Beaver avenues.

HRI Inc. of State College is the contractor on the $30,702,634 job.