Why part of Burrowes Street in State College will be fully closed for several weeks, starting Monday
.jpg)
Starting Monday, motorists who travel on South Burrowes Street in downtown State College will have to find a new route for a few weeks.
The 100 block of South Burrowes will be entirely closed to traffic from 7 a.m. Monday through 7 p.m. Aug. 6 for Penn State’s James Building Replacement Project. The closure will allow pavement restoration, completion of final right-of-way work and installation of concrete bus pads at the CATA bus stops.
The sidewalks there will also be closed to pedestrians during that stretch.
The State College Borough Council formally approved the closure at a meeting Monday night. Councilman Evan Myers requested that the borough or the university place signs warning of the closure as far away as a block or two so motorists can adjust — but no promises were made. Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said it’s something staff will look into, although such signage is ultimately governed by PennDOT.
The university, which used to lease the James Building, purchased it for $4.4 million in 2009. In 2019, due in part to the building’s deterioration, the board of trustees voted to move forward with its $56.8 million replacement, a six-story and 85,000-square foot building that will reflect a modernized and urban look with an exterior of glass and metal.
Construction is underway. Most of it is expected to be finished by Oct. 15, per a university spokesperson, although some work will continue inside on the third floor.
The plan is for three tenants to occupy the new building, with Invent Penn State and Happy Valley LaunchBox on the first and second floors and the deans of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Information Sciences and Technology on the fourth and fifth floors. The third floor will be “shelf space,” and the sixth floor will be designed as an event and meeting space for use by the entire building.
