D&L Pedestrian bridge getting plenty of use

Micah Kershner has been going for runs at the Weissport Canal Park for years.

But all that time, the trail met a dead end in Jim Thorpe.

Since the opening of the Mansion House Bridge, Kershner says he’s had a lot more company on the trail between bikers and hikers. And like them, he’s excited about a new connection between Jim Thorpe and the Lehighton area along the Delaware and Lehigh Trail.

“It could reach a point where we don’t give a second thought whether we drive or ride a bike to Jim Thorpe,” he said.

The Mansion House Bridge has been getting a lot of traffic from cyclists and walkers since it opened Aug. 12. Officials will officially dedicate the trail in a ceremony at 5 p.m. today.

Even on Tuesday, when the forecast called for rain, there was a steady stream of cyclists who say the bridge has changed the way they use the trail.

Some of them came from nearby, while others traveled from as far as Maryland to check out the bridge.

Sue Merkel loves the D&L and has ridden many different section of the trail with her husband. But she said the Weissport-Jim Thorpe sections is one of the most scenic thanks to the proximity of the river and the canal. She also enjoys watching the whitewater rafters on that section of river.

“This is beautiful with the water on both sides, it’s just amazing,” she said. “We’ll come up here more often.”

The route will provide an alternative for people who want to park in Lehighton and ride their bikes into Jim Thorpe. From Weissport, cyclists can also cross the bridge and get on another section which takes them south through the Lehigh Gap.

People can also rent a bike from Pocono Biking in downtown Jim Thorpe, or Lehighton Outdoor Center, which is located along a spur of the D&L Trail.

Joe Staples of Saylorsburg rides rail trails all over with his wife. They love that the new bridge provides a long, uninterrupted section of trail.

“We’re big fans of the trail. We’ve been waiting for a while for that bridge to open. It’s cool. We’re glad to see it’s a little more continuous,” he said.

Steve Hrobak of Kunkletown wanted to ride the D&L into Lehigh Gorge State Park Tuesday, but he knew the Mansion House Hill was closed due to ongoing construction.

Hrobak said he chose Tuesday to hit the trail as he anticipates it would be much busier on the weekend.

“I deliberately came on a slow day, a cloudy Tuesday. If this were a Saturday, a Sunday, it would be crowded,” he said.

It would be a lie to say that longtime users weren’t a little upset that the Weissport section, their little secret, is out to the public.

As well as being scenically beautiful, the section is constantly maintained by volunteers from the Weissport area.

Susie Asmann of Lehighton said that she’s ridden the section several times a week, year-round, for years. While she won’t have it to herself anymore, she’s glad that the D&L has leveled the section just before Jim Thorpe, making accessible what was once a more rugged section of trail.

“It was single track and very not friendly to families and strollers and all that. Now it is, and like I said that’s wonderful, they did a great job,” she said.

In Jim Thorpe, the bridge is another attraction for visitors from outside the area, as well as people who live and work in town. Colleen Klein and Karen Binder work in town. For a long time they walked up the sidewalks along Broadway, but they’re happy to have a smoothly paved alternative when they feel like taking the bridge.

“This is our new walking place now, we usually walk through town,” Binder said.