Campus Life

Installation of new forced main will cause sidewalk closures on Curtin Road

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starting Sept. 12, short-term sidewalk closures and single-lane traffic reductions are scheduled for areas south of Park Avenue near Bigler and Curtin roads. The installation of a new forced main is part of ongoing construction of a new water treatment system at University Park.

For the week of Sept. 12-16, sidewalk closures can be expected on the south side of Curtin Road between the greenhouses and Bigler Road and near Wagner Building. A map with the weekly schedule of all work can be found on the Office of Physical Plant web site.

The installation of a new forced main will allow backwash from the filtration process to be pumped from the new plant near Big Hollow Road to Penn State’s Wastewater Treatment Plant on Porter Road.

Rather than digging a ditch along the entire stretch of the installation, the project is utilizing directional drilling. Drilling horizontally underground and then pulling the pipe through the bore hole results in fewer excavations and disruptions.

The project will last until the third week of October.

Last Updated June 18, 2021