The first phase of this project, to place chilled water lines and steam pipes, is a small part of the university-wide construction taking place this year.
"We need to tear up the road to lay the pipes, and we're on a tight deadline to get that done because it impacts construction in the East sub-campus area," Scott said.
Midway through this phase, the north sidewalk next to Ritenour Building will re-open and the south sidewalk will close to pedestrian traffic.
Students using the closed section of the road yesterday have mixed feelings about the construction.
"I use this route a lot to get to my classes," Karen Cheng (freshman-computer science) said. "I don't think it will be that inconvenient because the one side of the road is still open."
Some students have begun to make plans to allow themselves extra time for possible delays.
"I don't think there will be much of an inconvenience for me," Mustafa Ozer (freshman-industrial engineering) said. "I have classes near that area almost every day, but I am just going to leave about five minutes earlier to make sure I get there on time."
While many students have not had problems with the closing, some felt it came at a bad time.
"I think the construction is very inconvenient for everyone," James Calixte (sophomore-premedicine) said. "A lot of people use Pollock Road to get to and from classes. They should've picked another time."
While some students said the university could have started during the summer, when fewer students are on campus, officials said there are many reasons to begin now.
"The entire project will take longer than what could have been done during one summer," Bill Mahon, Penn State spokesman, said. "The project was needed at this time. There are other campus projects that cannot get started until some of this work is done."
When this portion of the road re-opens, it will feature a traffic-control kiosk near Grange Building. The manned station will stop and direct non-permit cars. Once a second kiosk is placed at the other end of the street, they will work to control traffic flow during normal business hours.
During the construction, vehicular traffic, including the campus shuttle for faculty, will be affected as well.
"I think there are going to be a lot of traffic problems," Jesse Dominick (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) said. "Shortlidge Road is already closed, and this will cause even more backups."
The campus shuttle, which normally runs every 10 minutes, will now run every 15 minutes during the construction period.
Although it may inconvenience some, the construction will help to update the area and beautify the campus, Mahon said.
"Most of us enjoy the new buildings, plazas, walkways and gardens once they are done," he said. "And most of us complain when the work to complete those projects is taking place."
