PennDOT is no longer considering a new road connecting U.S. Route 322 and State Route 45 in southern Centre County, as the department continues the process of narrowing down the options for overhauling a section of U.S. Route 322.
The option of a connector road between 322 and Route 45 had faced strong opposition, including from residents of Potter and Harris townships.
PennDOT now says it is removing that option from the planning process. According to PennDOT's announcement Friday, the decision came after listening to feedback from stakeholders.
“In listening to the feedback of our stakeholders, we’ve concluded that this is a prudent approach that follows through with one of the recommendations of the PEL (Planning and Environmental Linkages) study and puts us on a path toward identifying a preferred alternative for the SCAC project,” PennDOT District 2 Executive Tom Prestash, said in a news release.
The review process for what’s known as the State College Area Connector project is continuing. PennDOT says it expects to hold public meetings this summer to present refined options.
PennDOT also announced that it’s allocating up to $3 million to study safety concerns on Route 45 in Harris and Potter townships. That study will be done independently of the State College Area Connector project.
