"Council thought it made more sense to purchase the property now -- and to have it available for the extension, if and when it happens," Fountaine said.

Public works director Mark Whitfield said two plans for the extension are being considered, despite the fact that implementation might not occur for several years.

The first plan is extending Beaver Avenue to University Drive by making a T-intersection where the two would meet. The second is constructing a fly-over or overpass, which would go above University Drive, near the Penn State's sewage treatment plant, and come back onto College Avenue near the merge onto route 26, going toward the Nittany Mall.

Council member Cathy Dauler said she did not approve of the property acquisition, but did not oppose the Beaver Avenue extension.

"I'm opposed to the borough purchasing a piece of land that the borough might never use," she said. "The chance of [extending Beaver Avenue] happening seems pretty remote because of the expense and the difficulty with the terrain, and the fact that there are no dollars available for transportation."

Fountaine said the project is preliminary and must be developed as a capital improvement project to allow the State College Borough Council to move forward with the extension.

He added that establishing a timeframe of the proposed project depends on competition from other projects for local funding and the amount of transportation funds allocated from the federal government.

Council member Janet Knauer said she approved the land acquisition, and anticipated addressing the traffic concerns of residents living in the Highlands neighborhood.

She added that an extension would provide a direct route to College Avenue and University Drive, negating the need for drivers to use the streets such as Foster and Prospect avenues.

"I think this would have the opposite effect of shifting the traffic out of the neighborhood and onto the arterial where we want it," Knauer said.

Whitfield said the first plan might be easier to construct, despite several complications.

The estimated $1.2 million project would involve eliminating or relocating four intersections in the area. Whitfield said one such example would be changing Foster Avenue into a cul-de-sac and eliminating the intersection at Foster Avenue and University Drive, to follow regulations stipulating the allowable distance between traffic signals.

Whitfield said the second fly-over plan would reduce the number of cars at College Avenue near Hooters, 538 E. College Ave., and the Meridian apartment complex, 646 E. College Ave., and would provide pedestrians a safer means of crossing College Avenue.

Whitfield said he was unsure if an extension would discourage throughway traffic in the Highlands area. He added that traffic studies need to be conducted to ascertain the needs of the area.

Whitfield said if more traffic goes toward downtown State College, it could possibly negate the project's effectiveness.

"The extension may reduce cut-through traffic in the Highlands neighborhood ... I'm not entirely convinced that's true. A lot of traffic is westbound," he said.

Bob Seibel, president of the Highlands Civic Association, said he did not like either Beaver Avenue extension plan.

He said that extending Beaver Avenue to University Drive might encourage commercial development, such as high-rise buildings, and added that the projects might decrease the property values of those who live around this area.

"Whenever there is a road that's heavily trafficked, there's strong pressure to turn the abutting properties into commercial property," he said. "Very few people want a home that fronts on a high traffic road."