The Delaware and Lehigh Trail is one step closer to being complete.

On Thursday, the Carbon County Commissioners opened bids for the connectivity project construction services.The total bids from three companies ranged from $385,279 to $456,940.The apparent low bidder for the combined four projects in the construction services bid was Semmel Excavating Inc. of Allentown.H. Scott Everett, D & L Trail manager, explained that the project bids included a base bid and three alternate bids for portions of the 165-mile trek that runs from Bristol to White Haven.The base bid, which ranged from $103,191.95, submitted by Nimaris Construction LP of Bath; to $225,380, submitted by Kobalt Construction Inc. of Swiftwater, includes work in East Penn Township along Route 895 and transitioning from the trail from the Lehighton section to the Marvin Gardens trail head.Alternate 1, which ranged from $154,488 by Semmel to $204,874.20 by Nimaris, includes completing a section of trail behind Red Castle Brewery in Lehighton and transitioning down to the Share the Road section on the trail up through the borough.Alternate 2, which bids ranged from $6,960 by Semmel to $26,410 by Nimaris, is the installation of signage on Riverview Road in East Penn Township.Alternate 3, which ranged from $20,212 by Semmel to $106,830 by Nimaris, is for installing signage connecting the trail from Lehighton to Bridge Street in Weissport.The commissioners will review the bids and make a decision this Thursday.After these sections, only one portion remains, the pedestrian bridge across the Lehigh River, near the Old Mauch Chunk Train Station in Jim Thorpe, which is slated the county and D & L trail officials have been working on.In a related matter, the commissioners will advertise for proposals for professional consulting services for the development of a master site plan for the D & L Connection and Trailhead, located through the county parking lot.The commissioners, in April, voiced their desire to move the trail out of the lot and on the other side of the guard rail so that people could hike and bike without fear of getting struck while also taking in the sights of the Lehigh River.The county received a Pocono Forest and Waters Conservation mini-grant for $10,000 with a $10,000 match.