Part of a downtown State College road will be closed to traffic as work continues on the borough’s Calder Way project.
The north end of McAllister Street, between Calder Way and East College Avenue, will be closed for water line installation beginning Monday, Jan. 22. The closure will continue “into the following week,” according to a news release.
East College Avenue in the area of McAllister Street also will be restricted to one lane from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday.
Access to the McAllister Deck and the south end of McAllister Street will remain open from East Beaver Avenue. Flaggers will assist with vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Calder Way between McAllister Street and McAllister Alley remains closed to vehicle traffic. The section of the road was closed beginning Jan. 15 for a period of approximately six weeks.
Water line work beginning Monday is not expected to cause service interruptions for buildings in the area. Any business or property owner that does experience water service interruption should contact the State College Borough Water Authority at 814-238-6766.
The mulit-year Calder Way project will replace aging utility infrastructure and create a more pedestrian friendly space on the downtown alley,
First phase work on the project will take place this year between McAllister and South Fraser streets. It will include replacement of sanitary sewer, stormwater, water main and gas main lines and providing provisions for electric and telecommunications lines to be moved underground. Some utility replacement also will take place on Kelly and Humes alleys and South Allen Street between Calder Way and College Avenue.
Future phases through 2027 will involve similar work on the rest of the road, with the project bordered by Hiester and South Burrowes streets.
Phase one is part of an overall project to transform Calder Way into a “pedestrian-preferred” corridor with limited vehicular traffic, “replacing curbed sidewalks with more artistic measures and the incorporation of other streetscape enhancements from Hiester to Burrowes,” according to the borough’s 2023-27 Capital Improvement Plan.
Streetscape and transportation work will include widened sidewalks to provide an at-grade pathway using stamped concrete, ADA upgrades at all intersections with detectable warning devices. The project plans also call for installation of retractable bollards for traffic control and new lighting, greenery and public art.
The first phase is funded by a a $2.4 million low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (Pennvest), as well as American Rescue Plan Act funds set aside for the project and $1.7 million from the State College Borough Water Authority for replacement of a water main that has reached the end of its useful life.
State College also recently received $2.75 million in grants to replace aging water, sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastructure on Calder Way from Pennsylvania’s Small Water and Sewer Program and H20 PA, which are funded from American Rescue Plan Act money and administered by the Commonwealth Finance Authority.
