It’s move-in time for Penn State. What to know about traffic, parking changes in State College
Penn State classes start Aug. 26, so students are beginning to filter back into the State College area — and both University Park and the borough are alerting motorists to a number of short-term changes.
Just like every year during move-in week, heavy traffic congestion is expected on campus and downtown. University Housing is available starting Monday, but some apartments already began their move-in processes Saturday.
Here’s a look at all the announced parking changes and travel restrictions so far, based on news releases and other alerts:
In State College Borough
PARKING CHANGES
“No Parking 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.” restriction to be lifted: This restriction will not be in effect between 2 a.m. Monday and 2 a.m. Aug. 26. Enforcement activities will return to normal Aug. 26.
No one- or two-hour parking restrictions in residential neighborhoods: The restriction will not be in effect between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Aug. 25. However, police will still be ticketing those who commit Pennsylvania Vehicle Code Violations, such as parking on the sidewalk, parking more than 12 inches from the curb, parking against traffic, etc.
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from now through Sunday: East Calder Way between Sowers Street and Hetzel Street will be turned into one-way northbound along with Hetzel Street between East Calder Way and East Beaver Avenue westbound.
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from now through Monday: East Calder Way between South Garner Street and Hiester Street will be closed along with a temporary one-way pattern southbound along Hiester Street from East Calder Way to East Beaver Avenue.
6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Wednesday through Aug. 24: West College Avenue between South Burrowes Street and North Atherton Street will have the left lane closed.
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Thursday through Aug. 24: High Street between East Beaver Avenue and East College Avenue will be restricted to a single lane along with East College Avenue from High Street to Ramp A.
6 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Friday through Aug. 24: H Alley will be turned into a one-way street southbound from West Calder Way to West Beaver Avenue.
On Campus
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
Varying times from Monday through Aug. 25: A section of Bigler Road — between Curtin Road and Park Avenue — could be restricted at times, the university said, with heavy traffic expected near East Deck. There are no specific times for when those restrictions might be in place.
From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Aug. 24: Burrowes Road — between Curtin and Pollock roads — will allow only southbound traffic to better accommodate student arrival.
PARKING LOT CHANGES (FOR STUDENT UNLOADING)
Student lots from Sunday through Aug. 25: Student permit holders at one of the four core student resident parking lots — Lot 22 (Eastview Terrace), Lot 42 (Nittany Apartments), Lot 81 (South/Pollock Halls) and Lot 82 (East Halls) — cannot move to their assigned lots until 6 p.m. Aug. 25 so students moving in can use the lots for 30-minute unloading. Before Aug. 25, permit holders must move their vehicles to Jordan East or Stadium West, where they’re allowed to park overnight.
Faculty/staff lots from Monday through Aug. 25: The following faculty/staff parking lots will be reserved for student unloading: Brown E, Green C, Green N, Yellow H (Softball, IM Building and section near Hastings and Snyder halls), Yellow J and Yellow T. While those lots are closed for students, permit holders are able to park at Jordan East or Stadium West. Additionally, those in Brown E, Green C and Green N can also choose to park at Nittany Deck; and Yellow H (Softball, IM Building and section near Hastings and Snyder halls) can park at other Yellow H lots.
Changes to Yellow D (East Deck and surface lot): From Monday through Aug. 25, hourly visitor parking at East Deck will be limited. Additionally, Yellow D permit holders are encouraged to instead park at Jordan East or Stadium West; the Yellow D surface lot at Tener Hall will be closed; and Level 1 and other areas of East Deck will be reserved for student unloading only.
Changes to Yellow C (HUB Deck): From Monday through Aug. 25, hourly visitor parking will be unavailable. (Only YC, ADA and those with arrival unloading permits will be allowed access. Sections of the deck below the plaza level entrance are reserved for student unloading.) Also, if the parking deck reaches capacity, those with Yellow C permits are able to park at Jordan East or Stadium West.
CAMPUS TRANSIT
Full-service schedule begins Thursday: Full CATA service will start Thursday, and more information can be found at catabus.com. Limited service will still be offered for those moving in beforehand.
Some stops temporarily unavailable: From Wednesday through Aug. 24, several northbound CATA and Campus Shuttle Stops will be unavailable due to the the southbound-only traffic restriction along Burrowes Road (between College Avenue and Curtin Road). That will impact the stops at Reber Building, Deike Building, Hosler Building, Waring Commons and Rec Hall.
This story was originally published August 17, 2024 at 12:49 PM with the headline "It’s move-in time for Penn State. What to know about traffic, parking changes in State College."
