x
Breaking News
More () »

Are Two Jim Thorpe Bridges Better Than One?

JIM THORPE — Just a few weeks after a new bridge opened in Jim Thorpe, PennDOT is scheduled to soon begin demolishing the old one. But some people in the ...
old jim thorpe bridge2

JIM THORPE -- Just a few weeks after a new bridge opened in Jim Thorpe, PennDOT is scheduled to soon begin demolishing the old one.

But some people in the community want the old bridge put to a new use.

After two years of construction, PennDOT opened the new Route 903 bridge across the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe earlier this month.

Bruce Shanfelt is a Jim Thorpe resident who's a fan of the new bridge and has no problem parting ways with the old one.

"It just needs to come down. I don't understand why everybody has this love affair with the bridge."

"People want to keep it. I don't know why," added Jim Thorpe resident Robert Wagner. "It's really no good. It shakes so bad when you used to go across it."

But residents, including Clark Smith, feel that even though the old bridge may not be suitable for cars or trucks to drive over, it could be used for people to walk over.

Smith supports a group's effort to get PennDOT to stop plans to demolish the old bridge.

"I think it would be adequate for people. There was talks of making it a little farmers market on the weekend," said Smith.

Some people in the borough also consider the old bridge a part of Jim Thorpe's history. When it was built in 1953, it was the physically and symbolically connected communities on each side of the river.

The new bridge was built with a pedestrian walkway, so as far as PennDOT is concerned, this bridge serves everyone's needs. It is both more practical and cost effective to tear down the old one.

Saving the old bridge had been talked about at recent Jim Thorpe borough meetings. While some officials would also like to see the old bridge stay, it may be too late.

"We don't have any legal standing or say in what happens to it," said council president Greg Strubinger. "It would've been nice if the group could've come up with a plan, maybe had some town hall meetings."

PennDOT still has the demolition of the old bridge on schedule to start by the beginning of next month.

Before You Leave, Check This Out