| For two and a half decades before
the Preliminary Arboretum Master Plan was written by Sasaki Associates,
Inc., in 1999, municipalities surrounding the University Park
campus had been considering whether to lessen traffic congestion
on the major commuting route to the north and east of State College
(North Atherton Street) by seeking state transportation funds
to construct a four-lane highway called the Eastern Inner Loop.
In 2005, however, the six municipalities who had supported earlier
feasibility studies for the eastern bypass learned that the most-favored
option (a road connecting University Drive with North Atherton
Street via Vairo Boulevard) had a projected cost of $44 million.
They also learned that no state funding would be available for
the foreseeable future. Subsequently, on November
29, 2005, the Centre Daily Times (CDT) reported that
the Centre Region Council of Governments general forum had voted
to stop considering the Eastern Inner Loop a viable option, and
to investigate less expensive ways to relieve traffic congestion
north of the campus. [Other CDT articles regarding deliberations
about the Easter Inner Loop: October
12, 2005, October
18, 2005]
Source: Howard Nuernberger
Within walking distance of
50,000 people, open space such as this will be valued exponentially
as surrounding land is converted to commercial and residential
use in the decades ahead.
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