Students returning to University Park in the fall will notice a few environmental differences as they walk down Curtin Road, which was closed today to begin construction that will last into the second summer session.

Office of Physical Plant (OPP) spokesman Paul Ruskin said there are many reasons for closing the road, such as the condition of the road's surface.

"Curtin is currently under pretty heavy use. As we move from pedestrians to cars to bus transportation we are changing the usage of these roads. They need to be updated for the new usage," Ruskin said.

Construction will also be done on the road's water lines and sidewalks.

The last goal of the project, which Ruskin called "the icing on the construction cake," is to install more lighting fixtures to increase safety and be more energy efficient.

The construction has closed the road to through traffic in two locations. East Curtain Road is closed from the access road east of East Halls to the Intramural Building parking lot. The IM lot can be accessed from the gravel road on the north side.

West Curtin is closed from the library loading dock access road near the Forum and Patterson buildings, to Parking Lot Yellow E. Access to the parking lot will be available from Shortlidge Road only. The road will be closed until July 7.

"We try to do these projects that would interrupt the routine during the summer when the campus population is at its lowest. Traffic patterns will have to change. We don't want to cause any inconvenience, but there always has to be some when you're doing this kind of construction," Ruskin said.

Construction will stop during July's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts to accommodate the increased number of people expected to visit the campus.

Ruskin suggests that anyone who has questions visit www.opp.psu.edu/construction/maps.csm to look at maps of the construction work.

"The university is very proud of having a great looking campus. Students will notice that things look better," Ruskin said.