Sidewalk superintendents wanting to witness the demolition of the steel grate Hokendauqua-North Catasauqua Bridge will have to wait several more weeks.

Work at the site of the bridge that spans the Lehigh River will sharply accelerate "very soon," Glenn Solt, Lehigh County director of general services, recently reported.

The bridge demolition will begin in March, perhaps as early as March 1. Solt said the huge task of dismantling the bridge will continue until sometime in April. No explosives will be used to demolish the bridge. Debunking rumors, Solt said HRI Contracting, Camp Hill, will take the bridge apart "piece by piece," retrieving the steel when it falls into the river.

Before the removal of the bridge begins, a temporary road will be built along with causeways so the project can move ahead. The banks of the river on both the Hokendauqua side in Whitehall Township and North Catasauqua side could at times be filled with motorists as people show up with cameras or video cameras to record the action..

The work schedule is tied into UGI, whose crew is moving a gas line at the site, according to Solt.

Two smaller bridges will be removed before the steel grate bridge is demolitished. Solt said in February the hump bridge – referred to as the railroad bridge – at Norfolk & Southern, will fall. Then the second small bridge will be taken down.

Whitehall Township Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. refers to the project as "the tri bridges."

The vacant three-story brick apartment building, which decades ago served as a tavern, was reduced to rubble a couple of weeks ago. The structure that was demolished is the only building that was removed for the bridge project. It was located just below the Hokendauqua-North Catasauqua Bridge at Darktown.

The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic at the start of January. The detours have thus far not had a major impact on roads or caused gridlock, officials said.

Darktown families have access to their Water Street homes from the south end, near Eberhart Road.

The new concrete bridge that will be constructed should be opened to traffic in late 2014, after which the Colay-Northampton Bridge construction will begin.