Is the end in sight for Atherton Street construction? PennDOT gives update
The nearly $12.8 million North Atherton Street project is about 90% complete, and the state Department of Transportation on Wednesday said they will likely continue minimal work until Thanksgiving before a winter shutdown.
“We have some more work that we have to complete this year, but the worst is behind us with the delays that we’ve been encountering through the summer,” PennDOT project inspector Marc Maney said. “We have some minor signing, guide rail, touch up work that we need to do over the next couple weeks, but we’ll be wrapping up then for this construction season.”
PennDOT has gained compliance with federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards, upgraded curb ramps and freshly painted markings at pedestrian crossings at Mitchell Avenue, Woodland Drive, Hillcrest Avenue, Arbor Way, Ridge Avenue and Park Avenue.
Work in 2020 is scheduled to focus on the Curtin Road intersection, including the installation of Penn State casings for future development, drainage installation, curb and sidewalk ramps, signal upgrades and paving.
Work zones are scheduled to be less than 500 feet and is planned to occur in May and June — “most likely” after the university’s spring commencement and before the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
Traffic delays are expected to “minimal” when compared to when spring and fall classes are ongoing, Maney said.
“One of the difficult things to do when we’re building a project like this is maintaining the traffic while we’re doing the work,” Maney said. “At all times, we had to maintain at least one lane of traffic in each direction and still get 40,000 cars through here every day, so that was a challenge.”
Though the project is nearly complete, Atherton Street has also been part of Penn State football’s maligned parking system that went into effect this year.
PennDOT worked with Penn State before the Pittsburgh game to aid the university in sharing details about the parking system because the department anticipated delays, PennDOT press officer Marla Fannin said.
The first area fans traveling from the Harrisburg area for Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game against Michigan may encounter delays is at the Potters Mills Gap project, where traffic is scheduled to be restricted to one lane in each direction, Fannin said.
“To this point in the football season, that project has not proven to be a real headache for drivers,” Fannin said. “It’s certainly slow. And depending on traffic volumes, it’s gonna take them longer.”