Expect delays: Park Avenue closure, detour ahead for PennDOT, State College utility work

Trips via West Park Avenue may take longer than usual starting May 8, as drivers will encounter a detour while utility work is completed.

The road will be closed between North Atherton and North Allen streets as the state Department of Transportation and State College perform sewer system repairs, PennDOT said Thursday.

Drivers traveling north will be detoured onto University Drive, East College Avenue and North Atherton Street; drivers headed south will be rerouted to North Atherton Street, East Beaver Avenue and then University Drive. North Allen Street will be open and accessible from East Park Avenue to the Penn State campus and the East College Heights neighborhood, PennDOT said.

The project is expected to be finished before May 19 but all work depends on the weather. After May 15, traffic could be affected by an eastbound detour connected to the Atherton Street project.

Motorists should be alert for stopped or slowed traffic through the detour and should plan for delays due to heavy traffic in the area.

As for the work itself, PennDOT will offer traffic control and road restoration for the pipe replacement, while State College borough workers will replace the storm sewer pipe and sanitary sewer line as well as curbing along Park Avenue.