Six months after work on the Oakland Avenue Viaduct came to a halt, county officials are still trying to figure out if the half-finished bridge will stand up to the wear and tear of daily traffic.

No resumption date is in sight for work on the bridge over Connelly Boulevard in Sharon.

Engineers discovered in November that steel beams supporting the viaduct are out of alignment and the project was put on hold to determine if construction should continue.

County officials are still waiting for an engineer's analysis to prove that the alignment won't cause structural problems in the future, said Mark Miller, Mercer County Bridge Department engineer. The viaduct is a county bridge.

"The structure is perfectly safe," Miller said. He said long-term wear on the bridge is what he's concerned about.

Bridge contractor Carmen Paliotta Construction, South Park, Pa., hired engineering firm Sucevic Piccolomini & Kuchar, Uniontown, Pa., to analyze the viaduct, Miller said.

Delbert Rockwell, an engineer with Sucevic Piccolomini & Kuchar declined to comment on the status of the bridge. He referred questions to Miller, the "main contact point" for the project.

Miller said he doesn't know when the analysis will be complete but it will have to go through several revisions. "Unfortunately we can't give a date at this point in time," he said.

The viaduct was originally scheduled to be completed in November 2001 but the contract hasn't been breached yet, Miller said. Paliotta Construction was given an extension on the contract because the company is working toward fixing the problem, Miller said. He added the company has about 50 days left an the extension that was granted in November.

After 50 days if work is not complete, the construction company will have to apply for another extension and county officials would have to decide whether to grant one, Miller said.

Miller said he's heard rumors floating around that the new structure might be demolished and work would start afresh. "That's not something that's being pursued at this point. It's nothing other than rumors," he said.

Miller said the delay isn't costing the county any additional money but it is costing county officials time reviewing things that shouldn't have to be reviewed.

Miller said he's been getting calls from local residents about the completion -- or lack of it -- of the viaduct. He said some calls have been from travelers who are anxious for the bridge to be reopened while other calls are from South Oakland Avenue residents who are happy about diminished traffic on the street.

The viaduct project is expected to cost $3.6 million. Eighty percent of the money comes from the federal government and 20 percent from the state.

The former concrete viaduct was built in 1936 and closed in March 2001. It was imploded June 23.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com