A month after the Sgt. Andrew J. "AJ" Baddick Memorial Bridge, carrying Route 903 over the Lehigh River, opened for traffic, Jim Thorpe Borough Council is still hearing rumors about a twisted middle pier.

At a workshop Thursday night, several council members asked the borough engineer to inquire about the issue with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation."I know what PennDOT has said, but you can't ignore that they were so close to finishing down there before we got two or three big rains and they rushed back in to rebuild the causeway," Councilman Curtis Jackson said."Now the bridge is finished and they're still down there pounding things into the ground and building new barriers all around the pier."Days before the July 1 bridge opening, PennDOT project manager Calvin Ulshafer said rumors about the bridge, including one that it had sunk 18 inches, were not true."What happened was the foundation took a great deal of time in this project," he said. "It has a 100-year requirement, and we have to make sure it lasts that long. Our environmental permit dictated when we could and could not work in the river. We were coming up on a deadline there and decided to abandon the work in the river and build the causeways so we could put all the big steel up."When crews returned to do work underneath on the pier, people began to speculate as to why, said PennDOT spokesman Ron Young at the time.Contacted Monday, Young said pier work at the bridge was completed two weeks ago."They are removing the temporary causeways now and that will go on for approximately two weeks," Young said.Councilman Jay Miller said he was at the Lehigh River for rescue efforts on July 31 when he noticed a crane still down at the site and metal in the ground."I'll tell you one thing, those piers are huge," Miller said.Miller pointed out that at the official dedication of the bridge, PennDOT District Executive Michael Rebert said work was still ongoing at the base of the bridge because the project was phased."I've been watching this project from day one and, while it could be nothing, it just makes you think, gee that's kind of odd," Jackson said.Council President Greg Strubinger said the borough will work to find out if there is cause for concern.