Atherton Street Update

Crews will be working around the clock on a section of Atherton Street in State College starting next week, as PennDOT's multi-year reconstruction project nears completion.

From Monday, Sept. 30, through Thursday, Oct. 3, and again the week of Oct. 7, crews will mill the road surface between Curtin Road and West Beaver Avenue during daylight hours, according to PennDOT. At night, paving will occur in the same area. Flaggers will manage traffic flow in the work zone.

To reduce traffic disruptions for Penn State's home football game against UCLA on Oct. 5, no work will take place from Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6.

This milling and paving work marks the final significant traffic disruption of the Atherton Street project. However, drivers may still encounter short-term lane closures during the week of Oct. 14.

PennDOT expects the entire three-year project to be completed by November.

The current phase of construction, which started in 2022, covers the stretch from Curtin Road to just beyond Westerly Parkway. The $32 million project involves roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, upgrades to water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks with detectable warning surfaces, pavement markings, and new traffic signals and supports.

This is the third phase of the Atherton Street work, which was initiated following a 2010 review of the entire corridor that identified the need for extensive repairs and upgrades, particularly for drainage. The first two phases addressed North Atherton Street, beginning near Gray’s Woods and extending to Park Avenue.

The next construction phase is tentatively scheduled for 2029 and will focus on the area from Westerly Parkway to University Drive.

Carson Schuler is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him please email cts5357@psu.edu.