The State College Area Connector project is moving into its next phase. What to know
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will soon move into the National Environmental Policy Act phase of its State College Area Connector project, the department announced in a press release and newsletter.
According to the newsletter, PennDOT has requested that the Federal Highway Administration publish a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, which initiates the NEPA project phase.
The NEPA phase has a two year time frame for receiving an official decision on the alternative to advance for final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, according to PennDOT.
The SCAC project has a goal of improving a 13-mile stretch of U.S. Route 322 from the Seven Mountains to State College. While no properties have yet been identified for acquisition, according to PennDOT’s website, farmers and local officials are preparing for the state to use eminent domain to claim properties.
With three proposed routes for the project, the NEPA phase will include conducting detailed field investigations, traffic analysis and refining engineering alternatives. PennDOT currently has experts in the area conducting field investigations that include:
Conducting agricultural operation interviews
Wetlands delineations
Plant and wildlife species surveys
Traffic counts
Historic resource surveys
Background noise measurements
Waste site investigations
Estimated costs of the overall project range from $432 million to $517 million, and PennDOT expects the next public meetings will take place this summer.
In January, PennDOT announced that the Route 45 connection was removed from the SCAC project. That proposed connector between Route 45 and U.S. Route 322 drew concerns from residents about safety and decreased property values. PennDOT said it would allocate up to $3 million to study and address safety concerns on Route 45 in Harris and Potter townships, a study that will be done independently of the ongoing SCAC project.
This story was originally published March 18, 2024 at 2:24 PM.