Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 
    District 2 Projects

    State College Area Connector

    State College Area Connector Project - NEPA Phase Summary

    The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), proposes construction of an approximately 8-mile four-lane limited access facility connecting the Mount Nittany Expressway near Boalsburg to the newly constructed limited access portion of U.S. 322 at Potters Mills. A Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study was completed that identified three Build Alternative corridors to advance for further study. These three PEL Build Alternatives corridors provide the foundation for outlining the current study area for which preliminary engineering and detailed environmental investigations will occur under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

    This website is intended to facilitate the public outreach efforts undertaken by PennDOT and FHWA during the NEPA process​.

    SCAC Webpage Map February2022

    Anticipated NEPA Schedule

    The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a Federal law that was signed into law on January 1, 1970. NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. The range of actions covered by NEPA is broad and includes:

    • making decisions on permit applications,
    • adopting federal land management actions, and
    • constructing highways and other publicly owned facilities.

    Using the NEPA process, agencies evaluate the environmental and related social and economic effects of their proposed actions. Public review and comment are also required in NEPA evaluations.

    An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a government document that is prepared for federally funded projects that may result in significant impacts on the environment. FHWA states “An EIS is a full disclosure document that details the process through which a transportation project was developed, includes consideration of a range of reasonable alternatives, analyzes the potential impacts resulting from the alternatives, and demonstrates compliance with other applicable environmental laws and executive orders. The EIS process is completed in the following ordered steps: Notice of Intent (NOI), draft EIS, final EIS, and record of decision (ROD).”

    Press Release Archive

    Contact Information

    The managers for the SCAC Study are:

    Eric Murnyack
    emurnyack@pa.gov

    Leigh Woolridge
    lwoolridge@pa.gov

    Accessibility

    The project documents can be made available in alternative languages or formats if requested. If you need translation or interpretation services, have special needs, or have concerns that require individual attention, please contact the PennDOT Project Manager listed above.