As the clock approaches midnight for the former Route 903 bridge in Jim Thorpe, several residents are presenting a final push to borough and state officials to save the structure.

Charles Bott of Nesquehoning and Todd Konstas of Summit Hill attended Thursday night's Jim Thorpe Borough Council meeting to again present the governing body with a petition asking it to support keeping the bridge and, more specifically, the efforts of a local businessman to purchase it."We strongly believe it should stay," Bott said. "We have a beautiful new bridge and it's a pleasure to drive on it, but there is an opportunity here to create a treasure for us and future generations."The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation opened a new bridge on July 1, nearly 1,000 feet upstream from where the structure in question crosses the Lehigh River.As part of PennDot's deal with general contractor Allan A. Myers, LP, the former bridge, built in 1953 and rehabilitated in 1976, is to be demolished.Andy Muller, Reading and Northern Railroad owner, expressed an interest in purchasing the bridge, an idea that was supported by Carbon County Commissioner Chairman Wayne Nothstein.In a letter to PennDOT, Nothstein said many residents were in favor of using it as a pedestrian bridge.Jim Thorpe's council did not share those same feelings and reiterated its stance Thursday."Just like a home that falls into disrepair, if the property owner doesn't fix it, we become liable," said Councilman Jay Miller. "It's nothing personal, but we have the potential for liability."If the bridge is saved, Konstas envisions it could turn out, though on a much smaller scale, like the High Line in New York City. The High Line, he said, is an abandoned railroad that was developed into a walkway and park."Without the community's support, however, our efforts won't go far," he said.While Muller has not attended any public meetings regarding the bridge, Jim Thorpe Mayor Michael Sofranko said the two met one-on-one and while the railroad owner is interested in fostering a helpful relationship with the borough, the chances of the bridge project coming to fruition are fleeting."He's looking to work with the borough and help in many areas," Sofranko said. "We discussed possibly purchasing some equipment for the fire company or equipment for Memorial Park. I get the sense he's more than willing to give to those causes. As far as the bridge, I think he knows he's behind the eight-ball. He fully understands this is not the borough's responsibility. This rests with the state and PennDOT."Two days before the last car crossed the old Route 903 bridge, PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said its fate was sealed."It would have been nice to accommodate that, but the bridge is just too far gone," he said of Muller's interest. "On top of that, with the all the rafters and kayakers coming down the Lehigh, the goal is to keep the obstacles in the river to a minimum, which the demolition will do."Calvin Ulshafer, project manager for PennDOT, said demolition would likely start in early August.That decision comes as no surprise to Councilman John McGuire."Walk under the bridge and you can see it's worn out," he said. We had no choice, but I don't know why we drove across it for the last 10 years."One of the only council members who said they would support the bridge staying, albeit with a number of conditions, was Curtis Jackson."There would have to be a number of guarantees from the railroad," Jackson said. "We need a walking bridge to connect the two sides of this town, but absent an actual plan, I don't know what other direction we could go as far as backing this."The new bridge has sidewalks across it and going south on Route 209.Bott finished his comments Thursday by telling council he felt former Times News journalist Joe Boyle and the town's namesake, Jim Thorpe, would be rolling over in their graves knowing the bridge would be torn down."The will of the state is prevailing over the will of the people," he said.