Penn State Opens New West Campus Parking Deck

After a year and a half of construction, Penn State opened a new parking deck on west campus on Monday morning.

The West Deck, located along White Course Drive between the Earth and Engineering Sciences Building and White Course Apartments, is open for both permit holders and visitors. Permit holders can check if they’re applicable here, while visitor parking is available for $1 an hour with a $12 maximum daily fee.

The six-level parking deck holds 1,651 parking spaces and is the largest parking structure in the State College area. The first level features an 8-foot, 3-inch clearance that can accommodate larger vehicles and has 28 Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible spaces. Level two, meanwhile, boasts five electric vehicle charging plugs, and 13 more spaces have been “prepped” for potential installation of more plugs in the future.

The West Deck also debuts with some new technology upgrades that should speed the parking experience along, according to Penn State. License plate recognition cameras are in place to scan in permit holders and cut down on wait times. Additionally, an online parking guidance system can let users know which spaces in the deck are available before they head over to try parking.

“As the needs of our campus and community continue to evolve, this new parking deck is a necessary step to accommodate future needs for convenient and safe parking for students, employees and visitors,” Rob DeMayo, director of Penn State Transportation Services, said in a news release.

According to the university, the parking deck aims to serve as a “hub” for on-campus transportation, largely through pro-biking infrastructure. The deck features a dedicated and covered bike parking area on its first level that can hold up to 100 bikes, a repair station and a tire pump.

CATA bus stops near the West Deck’s exit and entrance along White Course Drive opened on Monday, as well.

A turn lane from North Atherton Street to White Course Drive was added last summer to help manage traffic flow in and out of the deck.

The West Deck is just one of many components of the College of Engineering’s master plan expansion, which will roll out over the next decade or so. The deck was the enabling project by consolidating parking and allowing for surface lots to be used for construction of additional buildings.

 Site work is underway on the 105,000-square-foot Engineering Research and Teaching Space 2, also known as West 2, adjacent to the parking deck, and construction is expected to be completed in October 2023.

On Friday, Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved the construction of a $228 million, 290,000-square-foot West 1, which become the largest single academic building on campus.

“The West Deck is a key component of the University’s long-term plans to accommodate much-needed new academic buildings on west campus for the College of Engineering. By consolidating parking and linking it with other transit options, this deck also enables future buildings that may be planned for core campus,” university planner Neil Sullivan said.