Trail enthusiasts turn out to celebrate D&L bridge

Joe Mogilski estimates he has run over 8,000 miles on the Delaware & Lehigh rail trail. Last year alone, he covered 1,200.

The Summit Hill resident used to run harder trails, but had to give it up due to the toll it took on his body. When he found the smooth and level D&L, he found a way to continue doing what he loves.

“If it wasn’t for the D&L trail, my running days would be over. They definitely would be over,” he told fellow trail supporters Wednesday night.

D&L trail officials asked Mogilski to share his story Wednesday night as they held a happy hour to celebrate the completion of the Mansion House pedestrian bridge and connector.

Dozens of members of the D&L National Heritage Corridor, and other trail enthusiasts came out despite an uncertain weather forecast. Two Jim Thorpe-area bands, Sound Birds and Free Range Folk, provided music while guests enjoyed small plates from the Inn at Jim Thorpe and Yuengling Lagers from Mason’s Cold Beer.

Mike Drabenstott, the chairman of the D&L board, said that after a long wait to open the trail, he didn’t want supporters to hold back in expressing their excitement.

“This isn’t the time for polite applause, this is a time to let loose,” he said.

Mogilski said he’s seen many sections of the D&L trail and they all have their own scenic beauty. He talked about the mountains visible from the Black Diamond Trailhead, the Buttermilk Falls near Rockport, and the Nesquehoning Junction Bridge. He said the section opened up by the new bridge ranks with the best of them.

“In my opinion this is the most beautiful section and there’s so much history, I cannot believe how fast they were able to put the canal together back in 1830,” he said.

Tracey Kohl of Allentown spoke about what the trail means to her. The celebration reminded her of the good friends with whom she has ridden the trail, and some who are now gone, like Dr. Ulysses John Connor Jr. She said she’s always felt safe on the trail, and now she’s looking forward to riding with ease and safety from White Haven to the Lehigh Valley.

“In my opinion the real beauty of the D&L is not the spectacular scenery, but the friendships that one forms from meeting like minded folks who share the same passion for the great outdoors,” she said.

She thanked the D&L staff for its vision and commitment toward completing the bridge, and she challenged those in attendance to get out on the trail.

Bill Drumbore, a Jim Thorpe native and bicycle mechanic, said he has seen the area and towns transform as a result of the D&L trail. He said the trail gives local residents a chance to look at an area they already know through a new lens.

“They’re awakening the towns along it. I think it’s one of the best things to happen to this area in a long time,” he said.

The bridge actually opened to the public Aug. 12.

Construction got underway on the 200-foot through truss bridge in 2017 thanks to a $4 million grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. While construction wrapped up in 2018, users had to wait another year for a separate $1 million project to connect it with the trail south of Jim Thorpe.

It creates a 57-mile stretch of trail from White Haven to Cementon.

Officials thanked Sen. Pat Toomey and state Sen. John Yudichak in particular but said it took many champions to complete the project.

Elissa Garofalo, the executive director of the D&L National Heritage Corridor, said that the process of bringing a pedestrian bridge to Jim Thorpe has taken longer than many residents know. The idea was proposed 26 years ago in the original plan for the D&L heritage corridor. She said even she was skeptical at that time.

“Because of a lot of people cooperating, and sometimes not so much, we got it done. That’s how we do it here in Carbon County,” she said.

Drabenstott talked about the D&L’s four priorities — to highlight the significant history of the area, increase business, improve health and wellness, and to improve access to nature and the environment.

“You get access to the wonderful environment we have and the beautiful waterways here which are as nice as any in the mid-Atlantic.

Drabenstott thanked the many contractors who helped to build the bridge, including Architectural Polymers, in Palmerton, who provided the stone facade for the retaining wall which supports the section of trail connecting to the bridge.

To close the event, D&L board member Sierra Fogal, a Carbon County native, congratulated the attendees for doing an amazing job supporting the bridge to close the gap in the trail at Jim Thorpe. But she challenged them to recruit friends to help close remaining gaps in the Lehigh Valley and Luzerne County.

“Show them what’s in our backyard and what we are capable of to make this a real destination and to get people to ride the entire trail. The best way to get people involved is to show it to them,” she said.