Carbon County is hoping to secure funding for its plan to move the portion of the D&L Trail that travels through the county parking lot away from vehicular traffic.

On Thursday, the county commissioners voted to approve an application for an Alternative Set-Aside Application for funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in the amount of $403,986.The money would be used for creating a separate trail closer to the Lehigh River in the county lot so that pedestrians and bikers have a dedicated trail without having to dodge vehicles trying to park or get out of the parking lot.The current trail leaves Lehigh Gorge State Park, travels up through the rail yard and through the county parking lot. It will eventually connect with the remainder of the trail via a pedestrian foot bridge that is being constructed over the Lehigh River near Turkey Hill."We recognize the importance of getting the (pedestrian and biker) traffic out of the parking lot," Commissioner William O'Gurek said. "Our goal is to make things safer."He said the county isn't sure what the trail will look like since it is all dependent on the funding the county secures.O'Gurek said that it could possibly include a rest area and little park, but officials have to wait and see.Increasing safetyCommissioner Thomas J. Gerhard said more than 100,000 visitors ride the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway and many others visit the town of Jim Thorpe annually, most using the county parking lot. More visitors are also expected once the new pedestrian bridge is completed across the Lehigh River, which will connect another portion of the D&L Trail in Jim Thorpe.This project would help make the lot a little safer for all those visitors, as well as locals.The commissioners said that use some of the parking fund for the project isn't out of the question either, depending on how much is secured through grants. The parking fund is generated by the parking fees visitors pay when parking in the county lot.The idea for moving the section of trail out of the lot began last April when the county applied for a $10,000 Pocono Forest and Waters Conservation Landscape mini-grant to complete a study of the area next to the parking lot.Commissioners hired Hanover Engineering Associates at a cost of $21,290 to do a master site plan, which was completed this past July.Repairing walkwaysIn related matters, Gerhard announced that the county recently spent approximately $10,000 from the parking fund to redo the concrete work and re-level the pavers in Josiah White Park to make it safer for visitors.He said that there have been some hazards, which caused people to trip, as a result of the concrete and pavers shifting over the years.Seltzer's Nursery and Landscaping and Tom Lienhard Masonry completed the work, Gerhard said.He also said that upgrades to the county parking lot will be taking place in the near future to better label parking areas.Gerhard said there have been numerous problems about people parking in the employee parking area during the week, creating issues for employees who leave on their lunch breaks and return to find their spot taken.The upgrades, which will include painting and identifying lot B, will hopefully resolve the issues.O'Gurek also said that Reading and Northern Railroad recently approached the county about doing an improvement project on the walkways between the railroad tracks and train station to make the area safer for visitors.The current material will be ripped out in the near future and replaced, he said."We want to make it tourist friendly and safe and we recognize that it is an investment not only in Jim Thorpe, but Carbon County," O'Gurek said.