UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; November 5, 2018 – Penn State has announced that historic wet conditions on the University Park campus have resulted in significant damage to drive aisles and grass parking lots. For the safety of fans, to prevent further damage to intramural fields and Ag fields, as well as fans' personal vehicles, the majority of the grass parking lots will be unavailable for Saturday's noon contest with Wisconsin.
The ORV, Pink lots and a portion of the reserved Stadium North (Green) lot are the only grass lots that will be available for the Wisconsin game.
Six free shuttle routes, in addition to CATA from Lot Red A, will be available from off-campus lots to Beaver Stadium starting at 8 a.m. Saturday until 60 minutes after the conclusion of the game. The shuttles will drop off and pick up fans on University Drive.
A color and route number have been established for each shuttle route and fans will receive a wristband that corresponds with their shuttle. More shuttle information and an interactive parking map will be announced by Wednesday and posted at GoPSUsports.com for the Wisconsin game.
Fans who normally park a car or RV in paved lots will be unaffected. Permit holders with a white stripe through their permit have a paved parking space, which are not impacted by this Saturday's lot closures.
No Gameday (Yellow) Parking Available on Campus; Fans should park downtown or at Grange Park.
Fans who have a gameday (Yellow) parking permit will not be permitted to park in the lots near Beaver Stadium or in any campus parking lots and are asked to park in one of the lots outlined below. Fans who still need gameday parking should park in a downtown parking lot/deck or park at Grange Park and take a shuttle (see below).
Penn State is asking patrons for their patience and understanding. Fans are being asked to avoid bringing an RV for the Wisconsin game, unless the RV parking is on pavement or in the ORV lot, and urged to carpool, use the CATA, Fullington and Penn State shuttle services. Those fans who can walk to the stadium - particularly students - should do so.
Patrons who park in the Stadium North (Green) lot who have permits numbered 1-399 will need to utilize the alternative parking options listed below.
A complete list of alternate parking locations, along with street addresses for GPS navigation, is included at the bottom. All parking lots, on and off campus, will open Saturday at 7 a.m. Pre-paid parking permits will be honored at all off-site lots.
Intercollegiate Athletics utilizes several intramural fields for football parking among its game day lots, and parking vehicles on those fields will continue to cause more damage with fall intramural sports still in progress for Penn State students. Additionally, ICA utilizes multiple fields operated by the College of Agricultural Sciences for game day parking, which also have been damaged over the course of season, with the greatest impact occurring during the Oct. 27 Iowa game.
Record Rainfall in State College Area This Year and During Football Season
It has been a historically wet year, summer and fall in the State College area, with all the rainfall leading to the decision to close grass parking lots for the Wisconsin game. According to Penn State's Department of Meteorology, whose records date to 1887, the University Park campus has experienced the:
- Wettest year on record (as of Nov. 1)
- Wettest summer on record
- Third-wettest fall on record (as of Nov. 1)
According to AccuWeather, the University Park campus received 13.13 inches of rain in September and October, nearly double the normal amount of 6.6 inches.
Fans can find game day information, including the shuttle drop off and pick locations on University Drive and an interactive parking map for the Wisconsin game, by Wednesday at: GoPSUsports.com/gameday. Fans with questions can call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and this Saturday from 7 a.m. until one hour after the conclusion of the game.
Fans who have a Wisconsin parking permit for all closed grass lots should utilize the below parking alternatives and walk or take a shuttle. All lots will open at 7 a.m. and all alternative lots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to lot capacity restrictions, permits for the alternative parking locations will be restricted to the options listed below or off-campus locations.
Grass Lots Alternative Parking Options
Green Stadium West Orange H / Lot 83 (both near intersection of Porter Road & Hastings Road), Red A
Green Stadium North Orange H / Lot 83 (both near intersection of Porter Road & Hastings Road), Red A
Purple (Car) Innovation Park (Purple cars only at Innovation Park)
Purple (RV) ORV Lot
Brown Grange Park, East/Eisenhower/Nittany/HUB parking decks on campus
Orange (Car) Grange Park, East/Eisenhower/Nittany/HUB parking decks on campus
Orange (RV) Grange Park; or bring a car and park at Red A
Blue (RV) Grange Park; or bring a car and park at Red A
Blue (Car) Grange Park, East/Eisenhower/Nittany/HUB parking decks on campus
All Yellow Lots Grange Park and the lots included in shuttle bus routes 11, 12, 13 and 21 below
Alternate Lots for Beaver Stadium with Pre-Paid Permit
Penn State vs. Wisconsin; November 10, 2018
(All lots open at 7 a.m.)
Red A (CATA): Red A (West Campus Lots; off North Atherton Street near Rec Hall) Take CATA Red Link or Blue Loop to Beaver Stadium. Permits accepted: Red A, Green, Orange RV/Blue RV (must bring car for Red A)
Route 10: Innovation Park (100 Building Lot, 103 Building Lot & 329 Building Lot). Route 10 shuttle only will drop off and pick-up at the Transit Center near the intersection of Park Avenue and Fox Hollow/Porter Road.
(Purple) Permits accepted: Purple car (no RVs)
Route 11: Mount Nittany Middle School and Elementary School (656 Brandywine Drive) and Oak Hall
(Orange) Regional Park (120 Linden Hall Road, Boalsburg).
Permits accepted: Yellow, Brown, Orange, Blue
Route 12: Technology Support Building (Old Raytheon Building, 300 Science Park Road) & Chemcut (500
(Pink) Science Park Road), Sound Technologies (old Jostens; (401 Science Park Road).
Permits accepted: Yellow, Brown, Orange, Blue
Route 13: Penn State Golf Courses (1523 West College Ave.) and South Hills Business School (480
(Yellow) Waupelani Drive). Permits accepted: Yellow, Brown, Orange, Blue
Route 21: Nittany Mall (2901 East College Avenue), Summit Park Office (Old Corning Plant, 3500 East
(Red) College Ave. Permits accepted: Yellow, Brown, Orange, Blue
Grange Park: (149 Homan Lane, Centre Hall) Car and RV parking and shuttle service provided; Beaver
(Black) Stadium parking permits will be honored along with a free shuttle on Saturday; grangefair.com). Permits accepted: All
The remote parking lots not normally operated by Penn State University are drug, alcohol and tobacco free. Fans who park in these lots are guests and Penn State asks that fans respect these guidelines and township regulations.
Fans who have, or wish to purchase, gameday parking for the Wisconsin football game are advised:
- Vehicles that have a gameday (Yellow) parking permit will not be permitted to park in the lots near Beaver Stadium or in any campus parking lots. Patrons who are displaying a Yellow permit will be directed to the remote parking lots listed below, and take a shuttle to a drop-off location near the stadium;
- Fans who plan to purchase a gameday (Yellow) parking permit will not be permitted to park in the lots near Beaver Stadium or in any campus parking lots. Those patrons should pay for parking in a downtown parking lot/deck and take the CATA Gameday Football Shuttle, which operates primarily from downtown and areas south of the stadium to a drop-off location near the stadium (see below); OR
- Fans who plan to purchase a gameday (Yellow) parking permit also can park at Grange Park for $10 and take a free shuttle (Cole Transportation) to the drop-off location near the stadium. The shuttles will begin Saturday four hours before kickoff and run every 30 minutes. Cole also offers a round-trip shuttle on Friday from Grange Park to downtown State College for $5 round-trip.
Parking Options for Fans Who Don't Have a Pre-Paid or Advance Parking Permit for Wisconsin Game
Fans who don't have a pre-paid or advance parking permit for the Wisconsin game are encouraged to carpool or consider other options to get to Beaver Stadium, including:
- CATA Game Day Shuttle – two routes to Beaver Stadium (catabus.com)
- Fullington Tours operates the Penn State Football Express with three shuttle lines ($10 round-trip exact change only; fullingtontours.com/pages/psu_football_shuttles)
- Several downtown parking garages have hourly rates, including the Beaver Avenue, Fraser Street, McAllister Street and Pugh Street Garages, on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans can walk from the garages, take the CATA Game Day Shuttle or CATA Blue or White Loop to Beaver Stadium;
- Uber (drop off and pick up locations near stadium);
- Grange Park (cars-$10 to park; RVs-$60 in advance; $75 at the gate to park). Free round-trip shuttle (via Cole Transportation) to Beaver Stadium.
Before traveling to the State College area, fans are encouraged to check for traffic and parking updates. Fans can check GoPSUsports.com, @GoPSUsports on Twitter and local radio stations (1450 AM, 93.7 FM) for updates prior to kickoff. Fans can follow the Twitter hashtag #PSUparking for further updates.
PennDOT reminds motorists they can log on to www.511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on interstates and other major routes. Fans needing assistance on gameday also can text NITTANY and their question to 69050.
The Nittany Lions are hosting the Badgers for the first time since 2012. The game will kick at noon and air on ABC, the Penn State Sports Network (10:30 a.m. airtime) and GoPSUsports.com.
A limited number of single game tickets for the 2018 season presented by PSECU are available for the Nov. 24 Senior Day game vs. Maryland. Verified resale tickets are available for all home games via ticketmaster.com. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.NittanyLionClub.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.