The blue sky and warm sun Friday morning served for a picturesque backdrop during the official opening of the Marvin Gardens Trailhead.

The board of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Carbon County Connectivity Project at 10 a.m. where a crowd of 30 enjoyed the newly paved and freshly marked trail located at East Lizard Creek Road in Lehighton.“There is a lot of excitement today, a lot of trail users are excited to use it,” said Diane Kripas of Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.“PennDOT has collected all the bids for the pedestrian bridge (in Jim Thorpe) and we are still hoping to have it complete by the end of 2017,” she said.“Progress is moving on everything. We estimate 165 miles to be connected by 2020.”Board of Directors Chairman for the D&L Michael Drabenstott, told the gathered attendees the finished trial is “A critical link. It’s a connective corridor and it really connects everyone.”In attendance was Pennsylvania Sen. John Yudichak, who congratulated the organization for a job well done.“What a tremendous project it is,” he said of the trail connection.“Over $7.5 million has been added to the economy. Over 3,000 jobs have been created by the D & L investing in the economy of Carbon County.”State Rep. Doyle Heffley agreed with the senator on the impact the trail completion has had on the area, saying it adds “tourism opportunity.”The $385,000 D&L Trail Carbon County Connectivity Project consists of the following components:• Connection of the D&L Trail from the Weissport, Lehigh Canal Park Trailhead to Lehighton through the installation of “share the road” signage and street markings along Bridge Street in Weissport.• Connection of the D&L Trail from Bridge Street to the “share the road” section of Lehigh Drive in Lehighton with the installation of an ADA-compatible trail connection behind Red Castle Brewery.• The installation of a pedestrian crossing at Route 895 and Riverview Road in East Penn Township. This work will also include an ADA-compatible approach to the D&L Trailhead at Marvin Gardens.• The installation of “share the road” signage from the Route 895 pedestrian crossing to the D&L East Penn Boat Launch Trailhead along Riverview Road in East Penn Township.Eight municipal partners collaborated on this complex project. Funding was primarily provided by the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources. Matching funds were awarded by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, William Penn Foundation and from the construction of the new Pennsylvania Turnpike Bridge in Parryville.With the completion of this project along with the upcoming D&L pedestrian bridge in Jim Thorpe in 2017, Carbon County will be the first of the five corridor counties in which the D&L Trail is connected.Elissa Garofalo, D&L executive director, highlighted the importance of the project on the economy but also the well-being of the county.“The true value of the Carbon County Connectivity project lies in the concrete connections now available to communities, businesses, residents and visitors to our nationally significant natural and historic resources. What we have here is genuine, authentic and worthy of serious regard. When leveraged with care and respect, these resources make real community and economic impact by connecting our communities, improving our physical health, offering smart transportation options, creating accessible recreation opportunities and preserving the heritage that makes us unique.”According to Jay Mullikin of Semmel Excavation Inc. of Allentown, it took a five-man crew to complete the Bowmanstown/East Penn area trail renovation.“The biggest challenge was the time constraint. We finished a majority of the work by the end of October. It took two weeks to install the crossing signals,” he said. A pedestrian crossing sign complete with solar-powered lights was installed on either side of the busy two-lane street.“This place was a dump, an eyesore,” said East Penn Township Board Supervisor William Schwab.“This is what we have today after 10 long years. We have come a long way, but we’re not done yet.”Avid trail bikers Tracy Kohl and Ulysses Conner Jr., attended the ribbon cutting Friday morning before peddling out onto the newly marked trail.“We love it, we’ve been biking it for three years, this is great,” Kohl said.“It’s safe, it’s scenic, they’re doing wonderful things on the D&L.”