Dear Editor:

Jim Thorpe residents, citizens of Carbon County and anyone using the bridge across the Lehigh River at Jim Thorpe.It is time to speak your opinions and demands to our PA government representatives.What advantages does the location of the new bridge from Front Street to PA Route 209 have over a new bridge next to the present bridge?Not only does it not have any advantages and the disadvantages are numerous. Estimates are at least twice the cost 50 million plus compared to 20 million (figures courtesy of Heather Heater, Penn Dot bridge project manager).It does not help solve the traffic problem thru Jim Thorpe. It stops the borough citizens, as they do presently, walking from the east side to downtown or from downtown to the east side. It will cause a backup of traffic at the deadly curve above the Liberties on PA Route 209.The money saved could be used to construct 2 new thru rail lines for Norfolk Southern(NS) and Reading Northern(RN) along the west side of the Lehigh River thru Jim Thorpe from the Landing Bridge to the entrance to the Packerton Yard. This will make the rail lines presently used by NS and RN from the Landing Bridge on the east side of the Lehigh River to the Packerton Yard available for a road that would be a bypass for traffic thru the downtown and eventually a chance to eliminate the deadly Mansion House Hill road and its costly maintenance.Representative Heffley, Senator Yudichek, and Senator Argall, where has your guardianship of our precious tax dollars been. Allowing this project to go forward is apathetic, get your heads out of the sand and stop this local wasteful project.It will be better to have lost the money already spent rather than the millions more spent constructing the wrong bridge project. We the people should fire anyone that has proposed this wrong bridge project, including any government representatives.Yours for better government,Jerry StrubingerJim Thorpe, PA 18229