A mix of county, borough and state representatives, along with residents, piled into two Pocono Biking vans to view both ends of the proposed pedestrian bridge on either side of the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe.

The presentation given by D&L Trail President Elissa Garofalo, trail manager Scott Everett and Dennis DeMara, a representative of the D&L National Heritage Corridor shined light on the details of project despite the dark over cast.The 10-foot-wide 250-foot-long bridge will connect the Lehigh Gorge trail with the canal in Weissport.The bridge will be built just to the right of the train station off of the parking lot, cross the river and end just outside the sewer plant.It will be constructed of either six 40-foot pre-fabricated sections or four 60-foot sections welded together."It's kind of like an erector set," Everett said.The bridge will be similar to the type used across the Erie Canal made of oxidizing steel with a tropical wood deck.The pedestrian bridge will not be open to any type of motorized vehicle.The projected is estimated to go out for bidding in March. The project bid winner will iron out the rest of the details.Garofalo said this is a project that has been in the making since 1988 and is the closest it's ever come to being complete."The trail is now 85 percent complete with only the hard gaps left," she said. The project has gained funding and lost funding over the years, but now with grants in place the financing is set.The completion of the trail will be finished in pieces, the bridge to the ramp to the retaining wall ending with resurfacing and paving of various parts of the trail. "It's a lot of piecemeal projects," Everett said.The next step is a resolution from all municipalities for the trail and bridge, the resolution is expected to be written and agreed upon by the end of October."We are anticipating a lot of biking and hiking traffic once it's complete," DeMara said.