JIM THORPE -- A few shovel strikes to the ground and it became official. Work on a long-awaited pedestrian bridge between Jim Thorpe and Weissport is finally underway.
"It's going to be fantastic, fantastic. It's going to do so much for this area," said Joe Mogilski, Summit Hill.
The bridge will cross the Lehigh River and connect 58 miles of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, a walking and biking trail that goes through Carbon, Luzerne, and Lehigh Counties.
The $3.9 million project is 25 years in the making.
Directors of the D & L believe this 250-foot bridge will be a great addition to the community.
"When a business wants to locate in a region, they look for quality of life assets like a trail, like historic districts, like a vibrant downtown, and of course, Jim Thorpe has that and we hope that is going to spread out even further into the other communities in Carbon County," said Elissa Garofalo, D&L Executive Director.
Once the pedestrian bridge is complete, people will be able to walk across it, ride bicycles, and push strollers. It's something many people in the Jim Thorpe area have been waiting for, and not just residents and tourists, but business owners, too.
Michael McLeod manages Pocono Biking on Broadway in Jim Thorpe. He says the pedestrian bridge will connect a lot of people.
"It's going to bring a lot of new faces to the area, a good economic boost to the area, and certainly a piece they have been waiting for, for a long time," said McLeod.
Construction of the bridge will continue throughout the spring and summer. The plan is to have it open by November.