Carbon County and Reading and Northern Railroad are working to make sure a walking area near the Jim Thorpe train station is a little safer for pedestrians.

On Thursday, the commissioners provided an update on the sidewalk project right outside the county parking lot. Two weeks ago, the sidewalks and two parking spaces were torn out and modified red stone was put in.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said that the sidewalk areas along that stretch were not enough to allow for pedestrians to walk safely when it was crowded.

Because of this, the railroad began working on the improvements.

Nothstein said that on Tuesday, crews should be there to pave over the stone to make the walkway “wider and safer.”

“They’re working on it,” he said. “It will be nicer.”

Nothstein added that while this is a temporary inconvenience, it will be better for everyone in the long run.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner added that in addition to the sidewalks, the parking in that small area will no longer be pull in, but will be angle parking.

“When they back out, they’re only going to be backing out into one lane of traffic instead of like it is now and you’re in both of them,” he said. “That’s going to make a lot bigger improvement on the safety of driving also.”

In other safety matters, Ahner reported that 13 employees recently completed a training with the state regarding safety matters.

The county safety committee provides insight on identifying potential problems and ways to fix them to make county-owned property safer for visitors.