Residents continue to raise concerns over State College Area Connector project

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – PennDOT is asking for comments on its newest update to the State College Area Connector project, but not all of them have been positive.

The project has drawn controversy since its inception, with several revisions along the way, including the removal of Rt. 45 from it entirely. PennDOT says that the connector will help with congestion, but some residents are asking at what cost.

“It goes through my entire property as well as my daughter up the hill from me, so it displaces two identical families,” Tusseyville Resident Diane Fohringer said.

Since the last public meeting in 2022, PennDOT says it has discussed the potential impact with farmers, engineered three alternative routes and went out into the field to verify resources. The public meeting on Aug. 15 was meant to show where the project is heading, along with showing updated maps and the new estimated $500-700 million price tag.

According to PennDOT Assistant District Executive Eric Murnyack, public comment has shaped the project.

“We want to hear people’s feedback,” Murnyack said. “We want to know what they thought we did right and what they thought we did wrong.”

While some residents like Fohringer are concerned for their homes, others have been looking more at the environmental impact – and one is not happy with what they see.

“I don’t think we need more highways in this world, especially with how we know that they are inefficient, they create more emissions, more VMT, and they also are very problematic for health needs of the residents who live nearby,” G4, a Penn State graduate student attending the meeting, said.

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PennDOT encourages everyone to submit their comments in person or online by Aug. 30. Murnyack says the next step in the project will be determining the final alignment which he hopes will come by the end of the year.

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