Daytime detour on Route 322 in Centre County planned as shoulder-cutting operations resume

A daytime detour for a section of U.S. Route 322 westbound in Centre County will begin this week for maintenance after being delayed.

Beginning Oct. 10, a detour will be in effect for westbound traffic on Route 322 between Potters Mills and Boalsburg as maintenance crews resume shoulder-cutting operations, the state Department of Transportation announced in a release.

Between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 10-12, drivers should expect flaggers in the roadway to direct traffic. Westbound traffic will be directed off of Route 322 at Sand Mountain Road. Drivers will follow Route 2015 (Sand Mountain Road) to Route 144, Route 144 to Route 45, and Route 45 back to Route 322.

Local traffic access to homes will be permitted, the release states.

Eastbound traffic going toward Lewistown will drive through the work zone under “flagging conditions,” the release states. PennDOT said crews will reopen both lanes by 3 p.m. each day. Work is weather and schedule dependent but is expected to be completed by Oct. 12.

“PennDOT urges drivers to build extra time into their travel schedules, obey posted speed limits in this and all work zones, and always buckle up,” the release states.

Shoulder-cutting is a PennDOT maintenance activity.

“Shoulder-cutting removes excess material and debris from unpaved shoulders, improves drainage, and allows water to leave the roadway, which lessens the potential for icing conditions that are hazardous to drivers, weaken pavement, and hasten the formation of potholes during winter months,” the release states.

The work has been delayed twice. First it was moved back a week due to traffic for Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, and most recently rescheduled due to the Grange Fair and Penn State move-in.