PennDOT: Next meeting for State College connector project set

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – PennDOT is taking the next step in the State College Area Connector project by hosting a public meeting in August.

The meeting will be on Aug. 15, from 4-8 p.m. at the Mt. Nittany Middle School.

The State College Area Connector project aims to connect the Mt. Nittany Expressway to Route 322 in Potters Mills. It was created for a couple of reasons, namely to “improve congestion” and “provide continuity.”

PennDOT announced the publication of a Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. Alongside this, it announced the date for its next public meeting regarding the project.

“We’re just encouraging everybody to come out and give us some input on the project,” Eric Murnyack, assistant district executive for PennDOT, said.

The meeting will detail the new maps and the cost of the project. The most recent publicly available estimation was between $432 and $517 million, but the numbers seem to have changed. When asked what the new cost is, Murnyack said that they’re still “working on refining estimates” and that the new number will have to wait until the meeting.

Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters .

Beyond the meeting, Murnyack said they hope to further refine the project down to one alignment by sometime next year, meaning there’s still a long road ahead before construction begins.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com.