The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Monday unveiled its recommended preferred route for the long-planned State College Area Connector project ahead of a public meeting later this week.

PennDOT is recommending the central alternative alignment, one of three that were under consideration for the project, which will construct an approximately 8-mile, four-lane limited access road in Potter and Harris townships, connecting U.S. 322 at Potters Mills and the Mount Nittany Expressway near Boalsburg.

The central alternative, of which respondents to a survey last summer were most in favor, would start just west of the existing Potters Mills Gap, continuing mostly along and to the south of the U.S. 322 corridor for 2.4 miles. It would then turn north just past Tussey View Lane, crossing over Spring Creek and Sharer Road, then turn back south before merging in the area of the existing U.S. 322 near Somerset Drive.

According to documents published Monday on the SCAC website, 16 residences would be displaced by the central alternative, the fewest of the three options. It would also impact 19 farms totaling 163 acres — the smallest in terms of acreage among the three — and two commercial properties.

It would also impact one park. The route, according to PennDOT, “facilitates the relocation of the Potter Athletic Complex to a more desirable location.”

A single-point urban interchange, “where all off and on ramps come together at a common intersection with the cross street,” is proposed to replace the existing Route 45 interchange. “By
eliminating one intersection, operational efficiencies, including reduced delay, congestion, and vehicle queuing, as well as enhanced safety, can be realized,” PennDOT wrote in a summary published in 2024.

The project would also include working with Harris Township to develop a shared-use path on local 322/Boal Avenue from Discovery Drive to Bear Meadows Road.

The alignment avoids the headwaters of Spring Creek and the Tusseyville Historic District and impacts the fewest number of historic properties, according to PennDOT. It also has the lowest potential for encountering acid-producing rock.

The lone “con” listed by the department for the central alternative is the need to construct multiple bridges to avoid or minimize stream and wetland impacts.

In the survey conducted last summer, 36% of respondents favored the central alternative because it had the least impact on the natural environment, historic properties, farmland, and residences, among other factors, and because it aligned most closely with the existing U.S. 322. That was compared to 35% who preferred the south alternative, 18% the north, and 11% who favored combinations of alignments.

The connector project is aimed at addressing safety and congestion concerns and improving traffic flow into the State College area and Interstates 80 and 99. It is expected to divert nearly 53% of the total traffic and 73% of truck traffic from the local road network.

PennDOT has estimated the cost at $432 million to $517 million, depending on the alignment. It did not include estimates for each alternative in materials published for the upcoming public meeting.

A scoping meeting for the State College Area Connector route will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at the Wyndham Garden State College, 310 Elks Club Road, Boalsburg.

The public will have the opportunity to view project exhibits and meet with the study team to ask questions and make comments. Written comments can be submitted by mail to PennDOT District 2-0, attention Eric Murnyack or Leigh Woolridge, 70 PennDOT Drive, Clearfield, PA 16830; via email to [email protected] or [email protected]; or online.

Following the scoping meeting, a public hearing will be held, tentatively this fall, after the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public and agency review. 

The final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision are anticipated in June 2026.

Pending approval by the FHWA, the project will then move into the final engineering design phase. That will be followed by right-of-way acquisition and, finally, construction, which is not expected to begin until 2030 and will take about five years to complete.