The area railroad that manages Carbon County's rail line is looking to obtain a sliver of land owned by the county to use for the construction of a proposed trestle bridge between Nesquehoning and Jim Thorpe.

But county officials have some concerns about the condemnation of their property.On Tuesday, the Carbon County Railroad Commission discussed a declaration of taking that was filed by Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad of Port Clinton in Carbon County Court of Common Pleas on Sept. 9.The declaration is for a 0.85-acre piece of property located south of the Lehigh River on the county's rail line.The declaration states that the land "is for the public purpose of constructing the Nesquehoning Bridge - Phase 2 in order to construct a railroad facility to expand and enhance freight and railroad operation into and through Carbon County," and that the railroad has supplied a check for $10,000 to Carbon County to cover the property.Commissioner Wayne Nothstein, who also chairs the railroad commission, said that the property would be used by the railroad to gain enough turning radius for trains to maneuver onto the new bridge, but there are a few issues that are outstanding.He said that one issue is the fact that the proposal calls for removing some county track and replacing it on the new section, which would be privately owned."That means that the county railroad would be going over private property," Nothstein said.In response to the declaration, the railroad commission voted on two separate motions hiring three attorneys.The first motion approved legal services with K&L Gates of Harrisburg. The county will pay $550 per hour for attorney C. Grainger Bowman and $300 per hour for attorney Thomas DeCesar, plus expenses.The second motion approved legal services with Nossaman LLP of Washington, D.C. Estimated fees for attorney Edward Fishman were broken down into phases.Phase 1, which would relate to the declaration of taking, is $5,000. Phase 2, which is for evaluating the existing agreement between Carbon County and Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, is $25,000; and phase 3, which would be for the sale of the railroad if officials decide to sell, $20,000 to $70,000.On Thursday, the county commissioners approved the same motions.The commissioners said that their next step is to meet with their legal representation to discuss their issues. A response to the railroad's declaration will then be filed.Carbon County has 30 days from the time the declaration was filed to respond or it is automatically approved.Commissioner William O'Gurek said the county will issue a response before the deadline.Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad has been working on constructing this bridge to provide additional freight services through Carbon County for several years.In May, the railroad received a $5 million grant from the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission for the rail project.In an article published in the Times News in May, the project will provide about 1,200 feet of new track related to the construction of the new bridge, which will be 500 feet long and 40 feet above the Lehigh River. The new track will provide easy access to the line heading to Reading.