Blue White Illustrated

Penn State is updating its football traffic and parking plans for next sea- son, including improvements to sev- eral grass parking lots near Beaver Stadium, university officials an- nounced in April. Penn State announced a number of traffic and parking changes in Novem- ber, including the creation of four ac- cess zones. Fans who park in lots 14-18 (formerly the Pink and Green lots) will be given the option to access their parking lot via Fox Hollow Road (North zone) or Atherton Street (West zone) onto Park Avenue for the 2019 season. Following every home game, fans who park in Lots 14-18 will be required to exit via Park Avenue westbound to- ward Atherton Street during the one- way traffic pattern, which typically lasts 60 to 90 minutes after the game. Once the one-way outbound traffic pattern ends, fans in all lots will be able leave the stadium via any route. Prior to the season opener, Penn State will begin upgrading several grass parking lots controlled by Inter- collegiate Athletics in an effort to im- prove their usability should they become saturated. In other lots, gravel drive aisles will be installed to also im- prove the conditions for parking. Most if not all of the improvements are ex- pected to be completed before the start of the upcoming season. More than 3,900 grass parking spaces, including Lot 43 (formerly the Blue RV lot), will be impacted by the improvements for the 2019 season and beyond. The improvements include: • The restoration of Lot 17 (formerly Green Stadium North). Drain tiles were already in place last season, en- abling the lot to remain open when other grass lots had to be closed due to wet conditions. Restoration has been completed in the grass area of Lot 17 adjacent to Stadium West Drive. • The installation of drive aisle rein- forcement product in two lots. Aimed at reducing the rutting that occurs in the drive aisles, the reinforcement product will be placed in Lot 17 near the Pennsylvania State University sign and in the grass areas of Lot 18 (for- merly Green Stadium West). • The installation of gravel drive aisles in sections of lots 31 (formerly Purple) and 43 (formerly Blue RV) to reduce rutting during wet conditions. ■ A recommendation to appoint HOK of Philadelphia to design the next phase of renovations to the Lasch Football Build- ing, as well as upgrades to the team's outdoor practice fields and Holuba Hall, was approved earlier this month by the board of trustees. The multiphased renovations are ex- pected to cost $69 million and are to be financed primarily through private gifts, the university said in a news release. Fundraising efforts are ongoing. The upcoming im- provement projects will complete the rec- ommendations out- lined in a 2014 feasibility study con- ducted by Penn State Intercollegiate Ath- letics and are sup- ported by the athletic department's facilities master plan. The initial phases of the Lasch up- grades, which began in 2015, were completed earlier this year. Work on the new improvements could begin as early as this summer, with a completion date to be determined by fundraising efforts. "Investing in our athletic facilities will continue to be a very high priority for F A C I L I T I E S HOK to design next phase of Lasch improvements Beaver Stadium parking lots set to receive upgrades HOME IMPROVEMENT Upgrades are planned for Holuba Hall and the adjacent outdoor practice fields as part of PSU's Lasch com- plex makeover. BWI file photo

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