Carbon County is beginning the planning stages of a proposed project that will move hikers and bikers out of the county parking lot in Jim Thorpe and onto their own trail between the pedestrian bridge and the D&L trail connector at the north end of the lot.

On Thursday, the board voted to approve the execution of a grant between the county and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for the construction of the pedestrian travel path. The grant, which the county secured in 2018, is for $403,986.

The commissioners again said the reason for the new path is to keep the visitors who utilize the trail safe because right now they must navigate the parking lot and hundreds of vehicles to get between the trailhead and the pedestrian bridge.

There are a number of options the county has been looking at and those options will be reviewed again by the new board after they are sworn in in January.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that the time frame for the project beginning will be sometime early next year as long as things go well.

In a related matter, the commissioners said that a downsized ice rink proposal will allow the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency and Turn To Us to bring the rink from the north end of the parking lot to near the pedestrian bridge and closer to the center of town.

Nothstein said final details need to be worked out to ensure that the rink, which is now proposed at 20 by 44 feet, will fit in the location and not block access to the bridge, as well as the tourism agency obtaining the necessary insurance.

Commissioner William O’Gurek, who last week said that he felt the rink should be closer to town, again was supportive of the project.

“When you think about what they are offering,” he said, “I think it fits in with the whole Christmas environment that they’re trying to establish.”