Growing Concerns Of Corroded Pipes Underneath Busy Centre Co. Street

Local officials are working to find a solution to a growing problem underneath Centre County’s busiest roadway.

An underground camera snaked through the underground sewer line directly below Atherton Street shows substantial deterioration.

The sewer line runs directly underneath a nearly eight-mile stretch of Atherton Street, which passes through Patton Township, College Township, Ferguson Township and State College.

Local engineers blame the corrosion on the bottom on the metal pipes on road salt, but are unsure what’s behind corrosion on the sides of the pipes.

This week, members of the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization decided to shift $430,000 to pay for a study to determine the best way to fix the aging sewer line.

"We have a number of places where the pipe is, in likelihood, will collapse at some point and time and obviously needs to be addressed,” said State College Public Works Director Mark Whitfield. “If it does collapse, it will need to be repaired."

The sewer line has already been blamed for several small sink-ins on Atherton Street in the past. At this point, officials say it’s too early to determine how to fix the problem and who will be responsible for paying for it.