Penn State parking deck remains partly closed due to sinkhole. When will it fully reopen?
More than a week after a Penn State parking garage was evacuated due to a nearby sinkhole, it remains partially closed — but, according to officials, it is inching closer to fully reopening.
Although both university and third-party structural engineers determined Eisenhower Parking Deck is structurally stable and “poses no additional risk,” the parking area closest to the sinkhole has remained closed during repairs “out of an abundance of caution,” per the university. But by Monday — as long as the weather cooperates — the university hopes to reopen Eisenhower Road and the Yellow F surface lot across the street from the parking deck.
There is not yet a timetable for the return of the 122 parking spots on the north section of the deck, which remains closed, Penn State spokesperson Wyatt DuBois said Thursday night.
Last Wednesday, Eisenhower Parking Deck was evacuated around noon and, at 2:30 p.m., police and transportation services staff began assisting permit holders with removing their vehicles from the parking deck. Some stood in line for more than an hour.
The parking deck, primarily used by staff and faculty, caused a ripple effect during move-in week for Penn State students. Those hoping to purchase parking permits for the West Deck found that sales were postponed a few days, since West Deck was serving as alternative parking for Eisenhower. Both the Transportation Services Office and the University Park Police Station were also forced to temporarily relocate because their offices are within Eisenhower — although they both reopened by Monday.
According to the university, the sinkhole was caused by a failed underground stormwater sewer pipe, which will be fully repaired and returned to service. Stormwater was diverted to other parts of the system and crews worked to inject backfilling materials into the sinkhole to help fix the issue.
Classes for Penn State’s fall semester began this past Monday.
This story was originally published August 25, 2023 at 1:43 PM.
