UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is reminding the public of coming closures and detours on its Atherton Street project in State College, which will impact travel to and from Penn State's University Park campus for some motorists between Aug. 22 and Sept. 6. The work zone stretches from Curtin Road to just north of Westerly Parkway. PennDOT anticipates the three-year project will be completed in fall 2024.
Starting Monday, Aug. 22, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 28, Atherton Street will be closed in both directions between College Avenue and Beaver Avenue to upgrade the existing sanitary sewer system. This closure includes the Beaver Avenue intersection and will be in effect around the clock for the duration of the upgrades. The Atherton Street general detour and Beaver Avenue general detour will be in effect during this time frame.
The week of Monday, Aug. 29, through Tuesday, Sept. 6, will see Atherton Street closed in both directions between College Avenue and Beaver Avenue to continue sewer-system upgrades. The Beaver Avenue intersection will remain open during this time. The closure will be in effect around the clock for the duration of the upgrades. PennDOT indicated it is possible that the contractor also will work on Monday, Sept. 5 (Labor Day). The Atherton Street (downtown) eastbound detour and Atherton Street (downtown) westbound detour will be in effect during this time.
The official vehicle detours are detailed below. Drivers of noncommercial vehicles familiar with the area may choose alternate routes if they wish.
Atherton Street general 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 the Oak Hall/Boalsburg exit, Oak Hall/Boalsburg exit to Route 3010 (Warner Boulevard).
Beaver Avenue general detour:
Route 45 to Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway, Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway to Route 26.
Atherton Street (downtown) 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 (downtown) 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.
There will be various pedestrian detours implemented while the contractor performs this work. The primary crossing point during 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. 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.
Visit PennDOT's Atherton Street project page, which includes maps of the official detours, for additional details. PennDOT will post regular updates to the project page week-to-week as work progresses. It also will post detour information as needed. All work is weather and schedule dependent.
Overall project work will include roadway reconstruction; drainage improvements that include pipes and inlets, water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks and detectable warning surfaces; pavement markings; and traffic signals and supports.
PennDOT is reminding motorists that traffic may be stopped intermittently for short periods during work activities. Use caution when traveling through the work zone and do not follow construction equipment into the closed lane. When approaching the work zone, use both lanes to the merge point to minimize traffic back-ups and shorten travel delays, PennDOT said.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting 511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.