Carbon County is making emergency repairs to a Penn Forest Township bridge to ensure it is usable for years to come.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners approved a proposal from Professional Construction Contractors Inc. of Bethlehem for emergency beam repairs on county bridge 12 at a cost of $17,200. Bridge 12 is located on North Old Stage Road.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said the bridge remains open and is safe to cross but a recent inspection showed that some of the beams needed repairs."It's preventative maintenance that was picked up with the inspections," he said, adding that it is being done now so down the road, the county isn't faced with having to replace it at a higher cost.The project work must be completed within 14 calendar days of the date of notice to proceed.