‘Round the clock’ roadwork to soon start on State College’s South Atherton St. What to know

Motorists traveling to the State College area this weekend should be spared additional roadwork on South Atherton Street — but locals will have to endure more “round the clock” construction starting Monday.

According to PennDOT, the ongoing South Atherton Project will see significant work between Curtin Road and Westerly Parkway from next Monday, Sept. 30 through Thursday, Oct. 3. Construction will then take a break Oct. 4-5 for Penn State football’s home game against UCLA before resuming the week of Oct. 7.

During the daylight hours, crews will mill the roadway surface on South Atherton Street — between Curtin Road and Beaver Avenue — and, during the overnight hours, crews will pave those same roadway surfaces.

“Flaggers in the roadway will direct traffic through the zone,” a PennDOT news release read. “PennDOT urges drivers to exercise caution in all work zones, obey posted speed limits, and always buckle up.”

The good news for locals? The finish line for construction on the $30.7 million South Atherton Project is finally within view.

The project, which started in July 2022, was expected to finish this November. And the most recent PennDOT update simply stated the project is anticipated to be completed later this fall, “but all work is weather-dependent.”

After roadwork the week of Oct. 7, drivers could still encounter short-term closures. But, PennDOT wrote, “significant traffic impacts associated with this project will have ended.”

The project, whose contractor is HRI Inc., involves roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements that include pipes and inlets, water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks and detectable warning surfaces, pavement markings, traffic signals, supports, etc.

Motorists can check current conditions on South Atherton Street and other major roadways at 511PA.com .

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