As we move into the new year, several construction projects are ongoing, while the Panther Valley school project should be completed.

Here's a look at the projects:Route 903 bridgeThe new Route 903 bridge, which will connect Jim Thorpe, officially kicked off last February.Allan A. Myers LP of Worcester, who was awarded the $28 million contract in December 2013, began preparing the site and bringing equipment onto the site this past winter.Crews have been on-site working to construct the new 961-foot long by 57-foot, 8-inch wide four-span continuous steel plate girder bridge across the Lehigh River, Lehigh Canal and Reading Blue Mountain and Northern and Norfolk Southern railroad lines.Over the next three years, motorists and Jim Thorpe residents will see a flurry of activity as the bridge is built, the road redesigned and the old structure demolished. The project is expected to be completed by July 2017.The current 903 bridge, formally known as the PA 903 Jim Thorpe Memorial Bridge, was constructed in 1953 and rehabilitated in 1976. It is a 613-foot long by 27-foot wide five-span steel girder bridge, and has approximately 9,681 vehicles travel across it daily.D&L pedestrian bridgeEverything is coming together for the Delaware and Lehigh Trail pedestrian bridge, which will cross the Lehigh River and complete another section of the trail connectivity project throughout Carbon County.In November, Carbon County secured a $2 million PennDOT Transportation Alternative Program grant for the construction of the bridge, which is expected to cost $3.1 million.The state grant will be added to a $1.1 million grant awarded previously to the D&L National Heritage Corridor and an additional $350,000 was secured through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the design portion of the project, as well as a portion of the Jim Thorpe Connectivity Project.The grant comes with a two-year funding cycle and officials say the project will be complete by 2016.The pedestrian bridge will be 250 feet in length and include two bridge abutments and Americans With Disabilities Act compatible bridge approaches.No piers will be in the Lehigh River, which is active during summer months for tourism.Sewer plant and water parkAt the onset of 2014, a deal was finally struck to provide sewage treatment to residents in Lower Towamensing Township.The township's board of supervisors approved a wastewater treatment agreement with the Tuthill Corporation, the operator of Blue Mountain Resort.Tuthill Corporation will pay an estimated $1.49 million to construct a new plant. The cost for the township to hook up to the plant once it is constructed is $598,604.The new plant would provide wastewater treatment services to residents in the Little Gap, Walkton and Aquashicola geographic area. At that time, the DRBC approved the application submitted by Keystone Consulting Engineers, on behalf of Tuthill Corporation, for the renewal of an existing discharge from the ski area wastewater treatment plant.That approval came as Blue Mountain began preliminary work on its new Summit Splash Water Park, which is scheduled to open in 2016 and expected to create more than 200 full-time jobs.Once completed, Summit Splash will include a giant wave pool, a lazy river, and tubing slides all in a beautiful mountain setting.The wastewater treatment plant will continue to discharge treated effluent to the Aquashicola Creek.Waste sludge will continue to be hauled off-site by a licensed hauler for disposal at a state-approved facility.Panther ValleyThe $3.8 million addition to Panther Valley High School is progressing and is anticipated to be completed in spring.The addition is being done on the site where the former high school swimming pool had been. The pool has been removed and filled in.The addition will eliminate the use of 12 modular classrooms at the Nesquehoning Elementary School and relieve overcrowding at the elementary school.Bracy Contracting of Allentown, is handling the general construction at a cost of $2,277,719.Other contractors are JBM Mechanical Inc., Nazareth, plumbing construction, $284,200; Frey Lutz Corp., Lancaster, mechanical construction,$625,800, and Ace Electric Inc., Allentown, electrical construction; $668,300.The district had 1,781 pupils in the 2012-2013 school year, and had inadequate classroom space. By the 2020-2021 school year, the district is projected to have 1,960 pupils, necessitating seven additional classrooms.The present capacity for the district is 1,697 students.Packerton YardsWe will hopefully see some movement on Packerton Yards this year, which has been a subject of dispute for nearly a decade.But in 2014, the sprawling 71-acre site, which straddles Mahoning Township and Lehighton, was put up for sale.The history of the Packerton Business Park project began in 2005 when the Carbon County commissioners purchased the property from Joseph and Elizabeth Zaprazny for $352,576 with the hopes of industrializing the site and bringing jobs to the region, but numerous battles ensued that would eventually bring the project to its knees.Over the course of the next eight years, the county would spend $1.54 million preparing the site and demolishing the last remaining building on the property. It secured an additional $5 million in state and federal funding for development once all roadblocks were cleared.But the money was never able to be used.Last year, the county commissioners officially ended their bid to industrialize the site after being dealt, not one but two, losses in court at the end of 2013. The court rulings stopped the project from moving forward by upholding Mahoning Township's project plan rejections.In September, the commissioners put a "for sale" sign on the property with the hopes of getting it back on the tax roles, but no one showed interest.The board again put the property up for sale, but the sole bidder withdrew its proposal before bids could be opened.Terry Ahner and Ron Gower contributed to this report.