Homecoming parade affects parking, bus routes

The annual Penn State Homecoming Parade will wind through the streets of University Park campus and the borough of State College at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. The parade features more than 100 separate units, including marching bands, floats, campus dance groups, campus and community notables and this year's grand marshal, Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers football great Franco Harris. It is the centerpiece to the University's Homecoming 2007 weeklong festivities.

Participants will organize in the fields east of Medlar Field. From there, the parade units will form on Porter Road; turn west on Curtin Road; proceed west on Curtin Road and cross University Drive where the parade will be joined by units that have formed on the IM fields north of the IM Building. The parade will proceed west on Curtin Road to Bigler Road; turn south on Bigler Road to Pollock Road; west on Pollock Road to Shortlidge Road; south on Shortlidge Road to College Avenue; west on College Avenue to Burrowes Road; and north on Burrowes Road. The parade will disperse at the Burrowes/Pollock Road intersection.

The parade route will be closed to vehicular traffic from 6 p.m. through the conclusion of the parade. Parking along the route will be restricted. Motorists must remove parked vehicles on College Avenue before starting time.

Porter Road will be closed to all northbound traffic from Hastings Road to Curtin Road from 5 p.m. until the parade units clear the roadway. The Curtin Road exit, Porter Road exits 2, 3 and 5 out of Lot 44 will be closed. All traffic exiting lot 44 will need to use the exit to University Drive south of the Bryce Jordan Center (vehicles will be allowed to turn north or south), or Porter road exit 4 (all vehicles will be directed south bound on Porter Road).

Orange M
Due to the formation and movement of parade units around and through Lot Orange M (IM Building), the lot will be closed as of 3 p.m., and all vehicles must be removed from the Orange M lot by 5:30 p.m.

Faculty/staff and students who do not wish to remain until the conclusion of the parade, should make plans to remove their vehicle from the following areas before 6p.m.: Orange M (IM Building), Orange E Shields Building (vehicles must exit to University Drive), Orange D (Wagner Building), Orange J (McCoy Natatorium), Lot 81 (at Ritner/Wolf Halls and Pollock Building), HUB Parking Deck, Yellow J (Atherton Hall), Yellow N (College Avenue in front of Health and Human Development), and Lot Brown A (access to Burrowes Road). Pollock Road will remain open to Burrowes Road for vehicles exiting Lot Brown A.

University Police will be stationed along the parade route at 5 p.m. to help facilitate rush-hour traffic flow and begin closing the route.

Parade viewers can park in Lot Red A (west of North Atherton Street), East Parking Deck (located near the corner of Bigler and Curtin Roads) and Eisenhower Deck after 4 p.m. in order to watch the parade. Parade parking is not permitted in any lot designated for resident student parking.

Loop, Link and Campus Shuttle Bus information
Buses will begin detouring at approximately 5:30 p.m., with detours lasting until approximately 9 p.m. Penn State Police Services will be directing traffic at various intersections on campus. Please realize there will be delays, and patience will be of the utmost importance.

The following detours will be in effect from approximately 5:30 until 9 p.m.:

-- Blue Loop: There will be no Blue Loop service during the parade. All buses that usually provide Blue Loop service at this time will be redirected to operate as additional White Loop, Green Link or Red Link service.

-- White Loop: The White Loop will follow the following routing for the duration of the parade: From Beaver Avenue at Schlow Library, the bus will follow normal routing to University Drive. The bus will then travel University Drive to Park Avenue, turn left on Park Avenue, left on Shortlidge Road and right on Curtin Road. The bus will travel Curtin Road to Curtin Road Extension, turn right on Curtin Road Extension, left on Atherton Street and left on Beaver Avenue, where it will travel back to Schlow Library. There will be no service to the bus stops on Curtin Road between University Drive and Shortlidge Road, or Burrowes Road.

-- Red Link: The Red Link will follow the following routing for the duration of the parade: From West Campus, the bus will follow normal routing to the Pavilion Theatrer, where it will then travel Curtin Road to Shortlidge Road, Shortlidge Road to Park Avenue, Park Avenue to University Drive, University Drive to Curtin Road, and Curtin Road to Porter Road, where it will resume normal routing to Innovation Park. From Innovation Park, the bus will follow normal routing into Lot 44. When in Lot 44, the bus will travel straight through and out the south service entrance to University Drive. The bus will then turn right on University Drive, left on Park Avenue, left on Shortlidge Road, and right on Curtin Road, where the bus will resume normal routing to West Campus. There will be no service to the bus stops on Curtin Road between Shortlidge Road and University Drive, and no service to the Stadium West bus stop heading westbound.

-- Green Link: From 5:30 until 7 p.m., the Green Link will follow the following routing to provide eastbound service: From the Curtin Road Transit Center, the bus will travel Curtin Road to Shortlidge Road, turning left on Shortlidge Road, right on Park Avenue, right on University Drive, and left on Curtin Road, with the trip ending on Porter Road at Lubrano Park. There will be no service to the bus stops on Curtin Road between Shortlidge Road and University Drive.

Campus Shuttle service will stop at 5 p.m. due to parade-related road closures.