The Centre Region Council of Governments transportation committee proposed on Wednesday an expansion of Park Avenue, with hopes that the plan could partially replace the function of the Eastern Inner Loop, which was abandoned in November.

Transportation Planner for Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization Tom Zilla said the widening of Park Avenue, an estimated $5 million-plus project, addresses some problems that the Eastern Inner Loop would have addressed.

He said other projects will also be needed to compensate for the termination of the Inner Loop project.

That project would have connected University Drive, where it ends at Park Avenue, to North Atherton Street at Vairo Boulevard.

The Centre Region Council of Governments (COG) transportation committee was asked to come up with recommendations that would reduce traffic in that area, now that the Inner Loop has been scratched for numerous reasons -- the project's high cost of $40 million among those reasons, said James Steff, director of COG.

The plan would widen Park Avenue from two lanes to four from Bigler Road to Mount Nittany Expressway, past Beaver Stadium, Steff said.

But the project is still in the planning stages and far from construction.

"It is a theoretical concept right now because the idea needs to be endorsed by all elected officials in all six municipalities of COG and the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization," Steff said.

Zilla said the expansion of Park Avenue is still a candidate project and has not been approved for funding.

The project is currently on a list of priorities for Centre County's road projects, which are funded in part or completely by federal or state appropriations, Steff said.

He said the project is currently No. 72 on a list of more than 100 items that need funding. Zilla added that No. 72 falls "beyond our fiscal constraint," meaning it has no current funding.

Steff said the Inner Loop was higher on the list -- in the low 20s -- when it was scratched, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization is suggesting that the expansion project replace the Inner Loop on the list of priorities to progress the project faster.

Dan Klees, chairman of Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization, said the transportation committee thinks this is something that should be put into action sooner rather than later.

Zilla said the transportation committee hopes the Park Avenue expansion will be moved up in priority.

Although the funding for the project has not been set at any dollar amount, Klees said an estimate of $5 million has been suggested.

"The committee is pretty certain that it won't be enough," Klees said. "Normal routine for typical highway projects is a match of 80 percent of federal highway dollars [from PennDOT] and 20 percent state highway funds."

Klees said the U.S. Congress earmarked $400,000 for the Inner Loop.

Now, he said, the transportation committee is looking to transfer that funding to the expansion of Park Avenue.

COG voted 19-4 on Nov. 28, 2005 to terminate the Inner Loop project and to have its transportation committee consider more affordable options.

"This is an 'instead of,' " Klees said. "It is not building a new road; we are improving the ones that exist."