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Crane work to close part of College Avenue in State College at start of Penn State spring semester

Road closed ahead sign near the construction site of a high rise apartment on College Ave.
Sydney Roach
/
WPSU
A "road closed ahead" sign is posted near the construction site of a high rise apartment building on College Avenue in State College. Part of the road will be closed to through traffic starting on Jan. 9.

Update: The borough of State College issued an update that this project will only close the block of East College Avenue between Hetzel Street and Sowers Street. PennDOT says through traffic should use the Park Avenue detour. But local traffic will be able to use a detour onto Hetzel Street, to East Calder Way, to Sowers Street and back onto East College Avenue.

A section of College Avenue between Atherton Street and University Drive in State College will be closed for as as long as five days starting Jan. 9, overlapping with the start of classes for Penn State's spring semester.

Timothy Nebgen, PennDOT's press officer for District 2, said a private construction company is taking apart a crane at the Hetzel Street high-rise apartment building. He said it is not a PennDOT project, but that Massaro Construction got a permit from PennDOT allowing it to close the road.

Map showing the detour during a project to take apart a crane at the Hetzel Street high-rise apartment in State College.
Nebgen, Timothy
/
PennDOT
Map showing the detour during a project to take apart a crane at the Hetzel Street high-rise apartment in State College.

The private company Massaro said it plans to open the road by Jan. 13, but the road could be reopened before that if progress on the project allows it.

"[Massaro] attempted to schedule the work while the students were on break, but this was the earliest that the crane vendor could be on site to complete the demobilization," Nebgen said.

Nebgen said student housing residents will still be able to get to their apartments by way of Hetzel Street.

During the road closure, drivers will have to follow a detour using Atherton Street, Park Avenue and University Drive.

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Sydney Roach is a reporter and host for WPSU with a passion for radio and community stories.