“Sidewalk superintendents” following the progress of construction of the Hokendauqua-North Catasauqua Bridge can mark their calendars. Nov. 11, Veterans Day, is the current expected completion date for the entire bridge construction project, including the Water Street ramp at Darktown. Area residents have not been able to cross the Lehigh River from Hokendauqua, Lehigh County, to North Catasauqua, Northampton County, since the old bridge’s closure in late 2013.

Rick Molchany, Lehigh County director of general services, said on Aug. 21 he believes the new bridge will be open to vehicular traffic sometime in October. An official announcement is expected to be made later.

HRI Contractors will then have the finishing touches of the job completed by Nov. 11.

“They will be out of here,” Molchany said.

However, that is not the end of business between the county and HRI regarding this bridge construction.

“There are legal issues that still need to be resolved,” Molchany reported.

One of the issues is that HRI missed the contracted deadline for completing construction of the bridge, so there is a question of whether penalty fees should be imposed for each day of delay after that. A June deadline was reportedly in the contract.

The concrete road surface was completed in the last several weeks. Then work moved on to construction of concrete walls on both sides of the bridge. A sidewalk is also part of the contract, and installation of light standards should be completed soon.

The county has submitted paperwork with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for coverage of an estimated $100,000 in damages to the concrete resulting from the severe June 30 storm. Much of the damage was caused by hailstones as large as golf balls.

The $20 million project includes construction, engineering and design work.

The bridge replaces a deteriorating decades-old steel grate bridge.

There has been no announcement on plans for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the bridge’s opening.

The bridge will be named in honor of World War II flying ace Lt. Col. Thomas J. Lynch, a North Catasauqua resident who was killed in action over the Pacific.