Oct. 16, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 16, 2009 -- Due to inclement weather and wet snow, Penn State is asking football patrons coming to the Homecoming game vs. Minnesota to be patient and understanding, as the hazardous conditions in the area have taken roughly 20,000 parking spaces offline for the game.
Football fans are being urged to carpool, and those who can walk to the stadium - particularly students - should do so.
University officials are working to identify alternative parking areas. All grass lots will be closed. The overnight RV parking lot is open. However, once that lot fills, those bringing RVs to the game may be redirected to other locations for parking. The following procedures will be in place in paved and gravel lots:
-- Pink numbered, reserved lots, preferred lots (orange, blue and brown) and all general yellow parking will be redirected to space-available lots either on campus, or in designated lots in the community.
-- Parking in numbered, reserved lots (green, red and purple) will be on a first-come, first-served basis for permit-holders in those lots. Parking will be restricted to one space per vehicle until 11 a.m. or until the lots are filled. If the lots are not filled by 11 a.m., they will be opened to the general public, with the restriction of one space per vehicle remaining in place.
-- All ADA parking will be located in the East Parking Deck on Bigler Road. This parking deck will be open only to those with ADA parking permits, and it will be serviced by the ADA shuttle.
Patrons with passes for the lots listed above who arrive after these lots are filled, or after 11 a.m., will be redirected to another lot. Lots available for parking will open at 8:00 a.m.
At least 50 additional buses will be providing shuttle service from off-campus lots throughout the State College area. Buses will run on a continual basis beginning at 10:30 a.m. and running until 10:30 p.m. Several additional buses will be held in reserve to augment the above routes as necessary.
These remote parking locations include:
FROM EAST SIDE: Benner Pike WalMart; Sam's Club; Innovation Park, Centre Medical Sciences, former Corning Plant on E. College Ave; Big Lots Plaza; Boalsburg Military Museum, Hills Plaza, Mount Nittany Middle School, Innovation Park.
FROM WEST SIDE: Target; Lowe's; Home Depot; Raytheon, CATO Park (Penn State lots), ChemCut.
Shuttle routes are detailed below. All shuttles being added from remote off-campus lots will be provided to fans at no charge. Please note, however, that existing commercial shuttle service provided each week by CATA and Fullington may carry their normal game day shuttle charge, as outlined on Game Day Central on www.GoPSUsports.com (see below for more information on CATA and Fullington shuttle service).
All fans taking a shuttle from remote parking areas will board return buses at the same location as being dropped off. There will be four different drop-off points in close proximity to Beaver Stadium.
For questions about parking, please call 1-800-NITTANY.
Gameday Snow Emergency Parking Shuttle Routes
Route 1 (14 & 15): Innovation Park and Centre Medical Sciences, seven buses.
A circuit from the intersection at Park Avenue and Porter Road, east on Park Avenue to Centre Medical Sciences, through the Centre Medical Sciences lot back to Park Avenue, to Innovation Park, to Lot 16, to temp road, to Porter Road, to the Park Avenue-Porter Road intersection for discharge of passengers.
Route 2 (16 & 11): Mount Nittany Middle School and Boalsburg Military Museum, six buses.
A circuit from the Boalsburg Military Museum to the Mount Nittany Middle School, to Atherton Street, to University Drive, to the University Drive intersection for discharge of passengers and returning by the same route to the Military Museum.
Route 3 (3, 9, & 13): Chem Cut, Ratheon and Penn State lots at CATO Park, three buses.
A circuit from Chem Cut to Ratheon on Science Park Road, to Route 26 (College Avenue), to Whitehall Road, to University Drive, to the discharge point at the intersection of University Drive and Curtin Road and returning by the same route to Chem Cut.
Route 4 (12): State College Area High School, North and South Buildings, three buses.
A circuit from the South Building to Westerly Parkway, to University Drive, to the University Drive and Curtin Road intersection for discharge of passengers and a return by the same route to the South Building.
Route 5 (1,2,7,8): Corning Plant, Big Lots Plaza, Wal-Mart/Sam's Club, six buses.
A circuit from the Corning Plant to Big Lots Plaza, to Wal-Mart/Sam's Club along College Avenue, to University Drive, to the University Drive and Curtin Road intersection for discharge of passengers. Return to Corning along the same route.
Route 6 (4, 5, & 6): Lowe's, Home Depot, Fairfield Inn, Target, Williamsburg Square, Toftrees, five buses.
A circuit from Lowe's to Home Depot, to Fairfield Inn, to Target, to Williamsburg Square, and then through Toftrees to Fox Hollow Road, to the Porter Road-Park Avenue intersection for discharge of passengers and back to Lowe's.
Route 7 (17): Penn State Lot Red A, six buses.
From the University parking lots west of Atherton Street on White Course Drive to Curtin Road, to the Curtin Road-University Drive intersection for the discharge of passengers. The return route is from that point south on University Drive to Hastings Road, to Bigler Road, to Pollock Road, to Burrowes Road, to Curtin Road, to White Course Drive, to Red A parking lots.
CATA Game Day Football Shuttle
CATA's Game Day Football Shuttles are split into two separate routes -- one serving downtown State College (Downtown Shuttle) and one serving Hills Plaza and other South Atherton Street hotels and businesses (South Atherton Shuttle).
The South Atherton Shuttle will serve the Hills Plaza parking lot and all designated South Atherton stops from Hills Plaza to Easterly Parkway; it also will serve Rolling Ridge and Windmere Drives. Parking is available at the rear parking lot of Hills Plaza, along the streets in Windmere Park (Rolling Ridge Drive and Windmere Drive) and the Easterly Parkway Elementary School. Riders should note that parking at the Hills Plaza is limited to the rear of the Plaza only and parking is not permitted in the rear of Hills Plaza South. Each game day shuttle bus stop is distinctly marked designated by a special sign showing which of the two shuttle routes serve that stop. Each route will only stop at these marked locations.
The shuttles begin operation three hours before kickoff and run continuously until one hour after each game has ended. Both shuttles operate in both directions every 10 minutes before the game, every 20 minutes during the game and continuously one-way from the stadium following the game.
Fare for either shuttle is $2.00, exact fare only. Individuals presenting a valid U.S. Medicare Card, Senior Transit Identification Card or a CATA Reduced Fare Identification Card may ride for half the fare, $1.00. Remember that passengers pay when boarding the bus and may pay for more than one passenger, but drivers do not carry change.
Penn State Football Express
There are three shuttles provided by the Fullington Bus Company on game days as well. The Penn State Football Express will be picking up fans at the following locations: Altoona, North Atherton Street and Benner Pike. All tickets are for roundtrip service and require exact change. Drop-offs are within yards of Beaver Stadium.
| Bus | Location | Departure Time | Price | Tickets | |
| Altoona Campus | Penn State Altoona Campus | Four hours before kickoff | $18. exact change | 814-693-7630 (Must call ahead for reservation. Limited seating) | |
| North Atherton Street Shuttle | 1) Sleep Inn, Comfort Inn 2) Weis-Giant (between stores on Martin Street) 3) Target (between Target & Kohls) 4) Toftrees 5) The Village | Begins three hours before kickoff and continues until kickoff | $6. exact change | Tickets can be purchased on the bus from the driver | |
| Benner Pike Shuttle | Wal-Mart parking lot, across from Barnes & Noble | Begins three hours before kickoff and continues until kickoff | $6. exact change | Tickets can be purchased on the bus from the driver |
Returns
- The Altoona busses will return one hour after the game, as well as three hours after the game.
- The Atherton Street and Benner Pike busses will continuously loop for an hour and half after the game starting at the end of the third quarter.
In addition to the service provided by the CATA and Fullington shuttles, fans may also take advantage of the University's campus bus service -- the no-fare Blue and White Loops -- that provide continuous service within walking distance of Beaver Stadium to downtown State College until 2:30 a.m. Service beyond downtown to the South Atherton Street hotels and the Hills Plaza is available via the P Route ($1.25 exact fare) which leaves downtown at the Schlow Library stop at the corner of Beaver Avenue and Allen Street every 70 minutes, including 11:35 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:55 p.m., 3:05 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 5:25 p.m., 6:35 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
For information on these Penn State football shuttle services, including exact routings, refer to the CATA Game Day Shuttles schedule brochures available on all CATA buses, visit the CATA website at www.catabus.com or call (814) 238-CATA (2282) or visit the Fullington website at www.fullingtontours.com.
Fans can hear traffic and parking updates on affiliates of Pennsylvania Network's PA Sports Saturday (8 a.m-12 p.m.), which include WZWW (95.3) in State College, ESPN Radio in State College (1450 AM) from 12:30-2:00 p.m. and Penn State Sports Network affiliates from 2:00-3:30 p.m., which include ESPN Radio 1450 and WBUS (93.7 FM) in State College.
The Penn State-Minnesota game will air on ABC (ESPN outside the ABC coverage area), the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lion Basketbal Team will host "Hoop Fest" on Saturday in the Bryce Jordan Center. Doors to the Jordan Center will open at 11:00 a.m. with the "Hoops Fest" starting at 11:30 a.m. with a Blue White Scrimmage. A three-point contest will follow at noon and on-court events will conclude with a dunk contest at 12:20 p.m. The Nittany Lions will be available for 30 minutes for autographs following the dunk contest and prior to the start of the Tailgreat show at 1:30 p.m. in the Jordan Center.