University Park, Pa. – With the start of the 2001 Penn State football season just days away, fans traveling to the University from outside the Centre County region should be aware of several highway construction projects they will encounter along the various routes into State College.

            The $93 million expansion and renovation to Beaver Stadium has resulted in the addition of more than 12,000 seats, raising the facility’s capacity to 106,537. This increase in fans traveling to and from the game, in conjunction with road work, is likely to impact traffic flow.

According to PennDOT, the following projects will affect traffic patterns:

FROM THE SOUTH/EAST – U.S. ROUTE 322

·      U.S. 322 will be one lane in both directions from approximately the Burnham exit on the west side of Lewistown through the narrows along the Juniata River. This is caused by construction of the new Lewistown bypass and reconstruction of U.S. 322 through Lewistown.

·      U.S. 322 will be one lane in both directions for a pair of four-mile stretches on both the east and west sides of Port Royal in Juniata County, due to a concrete patching project on the highway.

FROM  THE NORTH/WEST – U.S. ROUTE 322

·      Traffic patterns on U.S. 322 in both directions at the Scotia Road interchange construction area just east of Skytop are significantly unusual and actually contrary to the normal pattern. Motorists who wish to remain on the U.S. 322 bypass (Mount Nittany Expressway) must now make a fairly hard right turn; in the past, traffic for the expressway would proceed straight ahead while U.S. 322 business route (Atherton Street) would be a gentle right exit.

·      U.S. 322 will be one lane in both directions from Skytop to U.S. 220 due to construction work on Interstate 99.

The 8 p.m. kickoff for the opening game with Miami on Saturday, Sept. 1, will further enhance the probability of traffic congestion, particularly at the conclusion of the game. According to PennDOT, a mass exodus of vehicles between 11:30 p.m. and midnight would likely jam highways even if they were all complete and fully open. Fans should allow for as much extra travel time both coming into and departing State College.

PennDOT also has projects underway outside the immediate Centre Region, including along Interstate 80 both east and west of State College and along other arteries in central Pennsylvania. For the latest information on central Pennsylvania highway construction projects, consult the PennDOT Web site at http://www.penndot2.com. For statewide highway travel information from PennDOT, go to http://www.dot.state.pa.us.

*ptk*

Contact:  Tysen Kendig, Department of Public Information, (814) 865-7517 or tysen@psu.edu.