There will be new traffic patterns in Jim Thorpe starting Monday.

During the Carbon County Commissioners' meeting on Thursday, Commissioner Wayne Nothstein announced that anyone utilizing the county parking lot will have to enter through a side entrance because the main entrance will be closed beginning Monday and last through Nov. 4.The reason for the temporary traffic redirection is because the triple track crossing replacement project at the entrance of the lot is slated to begin Monday. The project will take 10 days to complete, weather permitting."This is a temporary inconvenience and a permanent solution," Nothstein said of the upcoming project. "We ask for everyone's cooperation."Nothstein explained that motorists can enter the lot via a entrance off Susquehanna Street, (Rt. 209). This entrance is located between the Josiah White Park and the Hooven Building.A cross walk has also been created near the train station for pedestrians."We will not allow people jumping over the guardrails," Nothstein stressed.The county hopes to also enlist the help of Jim Thorpe Area Police officers, who will direct traffic from 4:30 to 5 p.m., during the rush hour traffic.Earlier this week, W.E. Yoder, Inc. of Kutztown, the company hired by the county to complete the track replacement project, began moving equipment onto the site.The triple track crossing project will make it safer for tourists and employees utilizing the county-owned parking lot in Jim Thorpe.The project calls for the installation of a box crossing, as well as crossing lights and gates. Carbon County and the county railroad commission will share the cost of the project.In August, the board of commissioners voted to award the project to W.E. Yoder, Inc., who bid $108,065 on the project.The triple track crossing project has been in the works since 2006.In 2007, the project was rejected for funding by the 2008 Rail Freight Assistance Program grant because it didn't meet the necessary requirements.The county railroad commission reapplied for financial assistance for the project in 2008 for 2009, but again, it was denied.In a related matter, Commissioner Charles Getz announced that the county safety committee met recently and discussed the pavement area around the train station.The county has been receiving reports of people tripping and falling on the pavement because there are some uneven spots.Getz said the county maintenance crew is now in the process of putting concrete in some areas to level off the sidewalk and make it safer for pedestrians.