LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — The shoulders of this red-winged blackbird are not the only thing that catches the eye or draws visitors' attention at Frances Slocum State Park.
Orange fencing around a new pedestrian bridge at Frances Slocum State Park is drawing visitors' attention.
"It seems that people are excited about it," said park manager Kevin Koflanovich."They ask when it's going to be done and when they'll be able to go across it. Any new feature draws attention."
This new pedestrian bridge will connect the parking lot and boat launch at the park's Carverton Road entrance with the campground section of the park.
"The motivation for adding the bridge was the ability to get people from the southern side of the park and that set of trails across to the main day-use area and that other section of trails. It's about 14 miles of trails here at the park. This gives people the opportunity to pretty much go all the way around the park," added Koflanovich.
"It can close a kind of a hole in the loop so you can get from one side of the park to the other," said Lou Sappe of Kingston Township.
The bridge was dropped in with a crane. Now, work is being done to secure the bridge and put all the safety measures in place before it opens.
"We still need to do finishing touches, put the decking on the bridge, pass final inspections, and so forth," explained Koflanovich.
Cheryl and Lou Sappe are big fans of the park.
"We've been coming here for 40-some years. We used to come here when we were dating, and now, we just come to enjoy the park and enjoy the scenery and the wildlife," explained Cheryl.
They say watching this process on their daily walks has been interesting.
"Watching them construct it, putting it together, and then getting the crane in there. I think it'll provide easier access for the folks that park on Carverton Road," added Lou.
Officials at the park say this bridge should be open for public use in two to three weeks.