Parking changes, road closures planned for PSU homecoming parade. What to know
Penn State alumni are set to return to campus for homecoming activities, including a parade on Friday evening. It will be a busy evening on campus between that, a concert and a men’s hockey game, so there will be a few traffic, transit and parking changes to keep in mind.
Penn State’s annual homecoming parade, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Friday, follows a route through campus and downtown State College. The route will be closed to vehicle traffic starting at 5:30 p.m. until the parade ends. Parking along the route will also be restricted and those parked on College Avenue will need to move their cars before the start of the parade.
In a news release, the university said parade participants will gather and organize in the fields east of Medlar Field and follow this route: Form on Curtin Road and travel west, crossing University Drive to join units that formed on Bigler Field. They’ll travel west on Curtin Road to Bigler Road, south on Bigler Road to Pollock Road, west on Pollock Road to Shortlidge Road, south on Shortlidge Road to College Avenue, west on College Avenue to Burrowes Road, north on Burrowes Road to Curtin Road, and the parade will disperse at the intersection of Burrowes and Curtin.
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., Porter Road between Curtin Road and the south entrance of the Jordan East parking lot will be closed until about 7 p.m., after all parade units have left. Curtin Road between University Drive and Porter Road will also be closed from 4:30 p.m. until the parade ends.
Other roads that will be closed from 5:30 p.m. until the end of the parade: Curtin Road between University Drive and Bigler Road, Bigler Road between Curtin Road and Pollock Road, Pollock Road between Bigler Road and Shortlidge Road, Shortlidge Road between Pollock Road and College Avenue, College Avenue between Shortlidge Road and Burrowes Road and Burrowes Road between College Avenue and Curtin Road.
From 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Curtin Road between Atherton Street and Burrowes Road will be closed for the Guard the Lion Shine.
Due to these road closures for the parade, anyone attending the Air1 Worship Now Tour at the Bryce Jordan Center or the men’s hockey game will need to access Stadium West by traveling on Park Avenue from Atherton Street or Interstate 99/Route 322, and Jordan East by traveling north on Porter Road from College Avenue.
Parking changes
Several parking lots will have some changes implemented for the parade, including the Lion Shrine visitor lot, which will be closed at 3 p.m. Vehicles must be moved by 5 p.m. The Yellow H parking lot (near the IM building) will be closed all day Friday. Those parking in the Yellow H lots near Snyder Hall and the softball park can do so, but can only exit onto Park Avenue.
Anyone who doesn’t want to remain parked in a lot until the parade ends should remove their cars before 5:30 p.m. from the following lots: Yellow H, Orange J, Lot 42 (vehicles will exit from Millennium Drive to Hastings Road), Lot 81(vehicles will exit to Mifflin Road then travel south to McKean Road),HUB Deck, Yellow J, Yellow N, Red H, Green C, Red K (vehicles can exit west through the 101 N. Atherton St. building parking lot to travel northbound on Atherton Street).
Those parking at Old Main, Brown B, Brown E or Brown A should leave before 5:30 p.m. if they wish to use their normal exit routes. Cars at the Reber and Deike areas of Brown A will need to access Fraser Road by going north between the Willard and Steidle buildings. Those leaving after the parade starts will need to go to Pollock Road to Fraser Road, then north on Fraser to exit onto Curtin Road.
Paid parking during the parade is available at the East and HUB Decks for $2 for the first hour, and $1 for every additional hour. Cars parked in the HUB Deck will not be able to leave between 5:30 p.m. and the end of the parade.
Nittany Deck and West Deck can be parked in for $10, or at the commuter lots for $20. Both are event rates due to events at Rec Hall and the BJC.
CATA Changes
A number of changes to CATA’s services, including the Blue Loop, White Loop and Red Link will be implemented due to the parade road closures, as well.
The following stops will not be serviced during the parade: on Curtin Road, Pattee Transit Center, Pavilion Theatre, Visual Arts Building, East Halls, Natatorium, IM Building, Shields Building, Bryce Jordan Ticket Center and Stadium West parking; on Porter Road, Beaver Stadium, Athletic Administration, Jordan East parking and Medlar Field; on College Avenue, all steps between University Drive and Atherton Street; on Pugh Street, all stops between Fairmount Avenue and College Avenue; and all stops on Burrowes Road, Hastings Road, Bigler Road, Pollock Road and Shortlidge Road.
Campus Shuttle service will also conclude at 5 p.m. Friday.
