Plans for a 250-foot pedestrian bridge over the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe will soon transform from artist rendering to reality.

Last week, the Carbon County Commissioners voted on three items that will help the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor work toward finishing the 165-mile trail that traverses through Pennsylvania. They included approving a memorandum of understanding with the heritage corridor regarding the construction of the bridge, a right of way plan and the Transportation Alternatives Program grant in the amount of $2,010,752.Elissa Garofalo, president and executive director for the D&L National Heritage Corridor, thanked the board for providing help with making this project become a reality."This is a project that has been a vision for 25 years," she said. "The project will not only enhance the recreational opportunities in the county, but also the economic opportunities as well."This pedestrian bridge is a critical, critical link (to completing the trail.) It truly makes the continuation possible," Garofalo said.The estimated $3.1 million bridge will be put out to bid in March 2016, with work expected to begin that fall.The bridge will be a continuous span, through truss, ADA compatible bridge with no piers in the Lehigh River and will be located between the south end of the county parking lot and just north of the Jim Thorpe Water Treatment Plant.Funding for the project has been made possible through a $1.1 million PennDOT grant secured by D&L National Heritage Corridor in 2014 and the $2 million TAP grant.When completed, the bridge will connect 40 miles of trail to the north and 90 miles of trail to the south.Garofalo noted that the heritage corridor hopes to complete all 165 miles of the trail by 2020.