A section of a downtown State College street that has been closed for about a month for work on the borough’s Calder Way project is expected to reopen next week.
The 100 block of South Pugh Street is tentatively scheduled to reopen by Tuesday, June 25, with temporary paving of the intersection with Calder Way planned for Friday, June 28, according to the borough.
The road has been closed at the Calder Way intersection since the week of May 20 for utility replacement, prohibiting through traffic between East College and East Beaver avenues. Access to the Pugh Street Parking Garage remains available from Beaver Avenue.
Calder Way between McAllister Alley and South Pugh Street is also expected to reopen by Tuesday.
The 100 block of South Allen Street will remain closed to through traffic as storm sewer and conduit installation continue at the Calder Way intersection. Sidewalk concrete restoration on Allen Street is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The block has been closed since early May for utility replacements. Local traffic can access the upper portion of the 100 block from Beaver Avenue.
The work is part of the mulit-year Calder Way project to replace aging utility infrastructure and create a more pedestrian friendly space on the downtown alley,
First phase work on the project is occurring this year between McAllister and South Fraser streets. It includes 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 is also taking place on Kelly and Humes alleys.
Future phases through 2027 will involve similar work on the rest of the road, with the project bordered by Hiester and South Burrowes streets. The second phase of the project is expected to go out to bid later this summer.
The overall project aims 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 received in late 2023 $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.
