Lehigh Career & Technical Institute students are teaming up with Lynn Township to replace an aging wooden footbridge in Ontelaunee Park.

Led by their teacher, Tom Shirkness, four carpentry students plan to build the new bridge at LCTI.

They hope to complete it in time for an early November installation at the park.

Shirkness and the students met with township Supervisor Ron Jerdon and Road Master Matthew Henderson Sept. 17 to check out the existing bridge, collect measurements and figure out how best to move the project forward.

In his capacity as president of Jerdon Construction, Jerdon serves on the Occupational Advisory Council for LCTI’s carpentry program and reached out to Shirkness about working with students on the bridge replacement.

Shirkness agreed the project would be a good fit for several of his third-year students: Emmaus High School’s Aaron Fox and Giuseppe Macaluso, along with Ken Kerekes and Gavin Surman of Northwestern Lehigh High School.

“We’re covering the cost of materials and, they’re providing the labor,” Jerdon said. “It’s an excellent project for them.”

The footbridge is about 20 years old and has sustained regular wear and tear over the years, Henderson said.

There have been some minor repairs to bolster the structure, but now it’s time for a replacement, he explained.

A small silver plate affixed to the bridge shows it was dedicated to the memory of Homer and Alice Snyder by Susan and Marie Kislter in 2006.

Jerdon said the plate will be transferred to the new bridge.

Replacing the bridge will help students develop project management skills like working up an estimate, technical skills like constructing mortise and tenon joinery and employability skills like time management, Shirkness said.

Service projects are important because they’re opportunities for students to support their community while representing LCTI, showcasing their talents, working outside a school environment, exploring career pathways and taking on tasks with real-world expectations, he added.