Campus Alert Archive
Penn State

Sinkhole Opens at Eisenhower Parking Deck During Move-In Week, Trapping Hundreds of Cars

PAinfrastructure failureadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On August 16, 2023, a sinkhole opened near the front of the Eisenhower Parking Deck on Penn State University Park campus at approximately noon, forcing the immediate closure of the deck and Eisenhower Road and stranding the cars of hundreds of workers and campus visitors for hours during the busiest move-in week of the year. The sinkhole was caused by a failed underground stormwater pipe discovered beneath the deck approach.

Alerts
3
Response
5 min
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Pennsylvania State University
Public R1 · PA
~46,000 studentsPSUAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction239 chars
Penn State Alert: Eisenhower Parking Deck and Eisenhower Road are closed due to a sinkhole near the front of the deck. Avoid the area. Yellow F permit holders should use alternate parking. University Police are on scene. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Text alerts around noon on August 16, 2023, announced the closure and asked people to avoid the area after a sinkhole appeared near the front of Eisenhower Parking Deck, a major parking structure on the University Park campus.
The sinkhole appeared during Penn State move-in week, the busiest period of the year for the University Park campus, when parking demand was at its annual peak.
The deck was full of cars belonging to workers and campus visitors when the sinkhole opened, leaving hundreds of vehicle owners unable to access their cars.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction423 chars
Penn State Transportation Services Update: Yellow F permit holders may retrieve their vehicles from Eisenhower Deck starting at 2:30 PM. Please meet at the lawn south of the Millennium Science Complex. You will be escorted in small groups by University Police and Transportation Services staff. Some vehicles near the sinkhole area may not be accessible for safety reasons. Rides home are available for those who need them.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

University Police and Transportation Services staff escorted permit holders in small groups to retrieve their vehicles, with some near the sinkhole area remaining inaccessible for safety.
Transportation Services provided rides home for those whose vehicles could not be retrieved safely on August 16.
The phased, escorted retrieval process reflected engineering guidance that the deck structure remained sound except in the immediate sinkhole vicinity.
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction335 chars
Penn State Transportation Services: Eisenhower Parking Deck has partially reopened effective August 21, 2023. The affected sinkhole area near the deck entrance remains closed while repairs to the failed stormwater pipe continue. Yellow F permit holders may use [alternate lots] for the duration of repairs. Thank you for your patience.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The partial reopening five days after the sinkhole occurred came after engineering teams from the Office of the Physical Plant and third-party engineers determined the garage structure was safe except for the affected area.
The cause was confirmed as a failed underground stormwater pipe beneath the deck approach, a common mechanism for sinkhole formation in the State College area due to aging subsurface infrastructure.
Repairs to the failed stormwater pipe required continued partial closure of the deck entrance zone.
Context

Background

At approximately noon on August 16, 2023, a sinkhole opened near the front of the Eisenhower Parking Deck on Penn State's University Park campus during the busiest period of the academic year: student move-in week. The deck, one of the largest parking structures on campus serving thousands of Yellow F permit holders, was full of vehicles belonging to workers and campus visitors when the ground gave way. Engineering teams and third-party engineers were immediately dispatched to evaluate the structure, which they determined to be sound except in the immediate vicinity of the sinkhole. The State College area is particularly prone to sinkholes because of the region's underlying karst limestone geology and aging subsurface stormwater infrastructure; the cause was confirmed as a failed underground stormwater pipe. Penn State Transportation Services coordinated with University Police to escort permit holders in small groups to retrieve vehicles starting at 2:30 PM, with rides provided for those who could not access their cars. The deck partially reopened on August 21 after the structural review was complete, with the sinkhole zone remaining closed during pipe repairs.
Analysis

Key Findings

The sinkhole struck during Penn State move-in week, the highest-demand parking period of the year, stranding hundreds of vehicles and requiring an escorted retrieval operation coordinated by University Police and Transportation Services.
The cause was a failed underground stormwater pipe, consistent with sinkhole patterns across the State College area, which sits on karst limestone geology that produces subsidence when subsurface water infrastructure fails.
The deck structure was deemed sound by engineering review within hours, enabling a partial reopening five days later, a relatively rapid recovery that limited longer-term disruption.
Outcome
The Eisenhower Parking Deck was closed immediately. Engineering teams from the Office of the Physical Plant evaluated the structure and deemed it safe except for the affected area. Permit holders were allowed to retrieve vehicles starting at approximately 2:30 PM, escorted in small groups by University Police and Transportation Services. The deck partially reopened on August 21, 2023.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Penn State's Eisenhower Parking Deck closed due to sinkhole -- WPSU
    radio.wpsu.org
  2. News
    Penn State Parking Deck Evacuated, Closed Due to Sinkhole -- State College PA
    statecollege.com
  3. Official
    Update on Eisenhower Parking Deck and impacts to Eisenhower Road -- Penn State University
    psu.edu
  4. News
    Penn State to Reopen Part of Eisenhower Deck After Sinkhole -- State College PA
    statecollege.com
  5. Student Paper
    How State College, Penn State sinkholes form -- The Daily Collegian
    psucollegian.com
Tags
sinkholeinfrastructure-failureparking-deckstormwater-pipekarst-geologymove-in-weekstructuralevacuation
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion