Bridge project to close roads along busy State College area corridor. See detours
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- A bridge construction project will close key State College roads this summer.
- The project, which begins in June, includes detours for Houserville Road and Pike Street.
- Construction should conclude by November, PennDOT said.
A bridge reconstruction project will impact key routes along a busy State College area corridor for months this summer.
The project, which begins in June, will ultimately reconstruct a bridge along College Avenue at the intersection of Houserville Road and Pike Street in College Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Wednesday. Reconstruction aims to improve the ride quality and overall condition of the Route 26 bridge, which was built in 1940 and carries roughly 15,000 vehicles daily.
Starting Monday, June 1, crews will remove the concrete island at the intersection and lay down asphalt before closing College Avenue’s left turning lane and shifting northbound traffic heading toward the Nittany Mall into the right lane. This move will shift southbound traffic heading toward State College to the travel lane.
While this work continues, traffic will not be permitted to turn left onto Houserville Road or Pike Street, PennDOT said. Traffic can turn onto College Avenue, but drivers cannot head straight through the intersection.
Traffic signals at the intersection will remain active throughout the project’s duration, but flaggers will be on-site to assist with turns.
Starting Tuesday, June 2, crews will close Houserville Road and Pike Street at the intersection and implement detours. Drivers will not be able to access College Avenue from either road.
A detour off of Houserville Road will take traffic down Puddintown Road before returning to College Avenue. Traffic on Pike Street, meanwhile, will follow Elmwood Street in Lemont to return to College Avenue.
The traffic pattern taking effect June 2 will close the northbound lanes of College Avenue heading toward the Nittany Mall and shift northbound traffic into one southbound lane. Right turns onto Houserville Road from the existing turn lane will be permitted during this phase of construction, PennDOT said.
The department said this traffic pattern should remain in effect until mid-August, when crews will close the southbound lanes and shift traffic into the northbound lanes. Work on the bridge is expected to conclude by early November, but construction schedules could change due to weather conditions or other challenges.
Additionally, construction crews will return to the area in 2027 to complete concrete patching work along U.S. Route 322 near the Route 26 interchange, PennDOT said. Work there includes a full replacement of the bridge superstructure, repairs to the substructure, the installation of new beams, upgrades to guide rails, new line painting and more.
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