The bridge on Main Street in Walnutport that connects to the Borough of Slatington has become a recent topic of debate at the Thursday night Walnutport Borough Council meeting.

The Borough office received a call from State Rep. Julie Harhart's office about the conditions on the bridge. PennDOT cleared the road surface of the bridge, but the walkways remained snow covered.There were several complaints about the bridge walkways and the dangers they pose for school students that are forced to walk. Having the sidewalks snow covered often forces the foot traffic to take their chances and step onto the road surface to cross into Slatington.The Borough Council agrees that the snow covered sidewalks on the bridge pose a very serious and dangerous concern to not only students, but all pedestrians that use the bridge. The bridge is owned by the state and is PennDOT's responsibility to clear and maintain.If the borough attempted to remove the snow and in the process damaged the bridge, they would be liable for any and all damages. Because it is a state owned bridge, the state has the bridge insured.The Borough of Walnutport only has two full time borough employees and would need at least four workers to safely conduct the snow removal if it was in fact a bridge owned by the Borough of Walnutport.The office of State Representative Harhart agreed that Walnutport was not responsible for the snow removal after learning it was a state owned bridge.