Officials are discussing the long-awaited Centre County highway project that is in the middle of some prime farmland and has sparked new debate on how much farmers should be compensated when their land is lost to eminent domain.
The State College Connector Project, in eastern Centre County, between Potters Mills and Boalsburg, is the missing link of Route 322; the last stretch of that roadway from Harrisburg to State College that isn’t four lanes.
“It’s not just on a Penn State football weekend. There really is a huge amount of traffic that presents a flow problem and safety problem that is incumbent upon Penndot to address.”
Penndot secretary Michael Carroll says the project has been under study for decades and the state now has three options on the table for the new Route 322 corridor.
Penndot recently said that plans are being made for a meeting this summer to announce a decision on a final selection.
“Penndot continues to evaluate options connected to completion of the project. I’m aware of the sensitivity folks have in the community. We’ll do our level best to address those concerns and to reconcile the needs of the traveling public with the residents in that part of Centre County.”
A great deal of the State College connector project community sensitivity comes from the farming community in that area. Farmers are concerned about losing their property through eminent domain for a new roadway.
That concern has led to a new state senate legislative proposal to change the state compensation process in eminent domain cases. For farmers, it would factor in the issue of what’s termed “lost good will” in determining the compensation amount.
Since a final decision on the connector project has yet to be announced, there’s also no word yet on which properties may be seized for roadway construction.