Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that it is removing the evaluation of the connection to Route 45 (PA 45 Connector) from the State College Area Connector (SCAC) project. PennDOT said the SCAC project will focus solely on the transportation needs of the Route 322 corridor moving forward. 

"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 Study and puts us on a path toward identifying a preferred alternative for the SCAC project," said PennDOT District 2 Executive Tom Prestash, P.E. 

Additionally, PennDOT announced that it is allocating up to $3 million to study and address safety concerns identified on Route 45 in Harris and Potter townships. The need for this study, which will be conducted independently of the ongoing SCAC project, was nonetheless identified as part of the SCAC Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study's public input and preliminary engineering phases. 

The initial study will be conducted independently of the ongoing SCAC project and focus on the section of Route 45 between Boal Avenue and the area slightly east of Old Fort. It will analyze existing conditions and identify potential safety, operational, and geometric upgrades. 

PennDOT anticipates hosting a public meeting this summer to present the alternative refinement from the PEL study for the Route 322 corridors as part of the SCAC project. 

PennDOT also anticipates soliciting public input throughout the Route 45 study. It will provide the timeframe for this process during the early stages of the study.

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