Published Friday, December 13, 2002
board says
and Kristen Garrett
Herald Staff Writers
The deadline for the completion of the Oakland Avenue Viaduct in Sharon passed more than a year ago, and Mercer County commissioners are finally threatening to "take action" against Carmen Paliotta Construction.
Commissioners said Thursday they will take action -- though they didn't specify what kind of action -- against the South Park, Pa., company if contractors don't come up with a plan to fix the bridge by the end of the year.
Work halted on the viaduct, which spans U.S. Route 62, also known as Connelly Boulevard in Sharon, after county bridge officials announced that the steel beams that support the bridge are out of alignment by as much as 3 inches in some places.
Mark Miller, county bridge engineer, updated commissioners on the bridge situation. Commissioner Chairman Cloyd E. "Gene" Brenneman asked Miller to give a similar briefing at each commissioners' meeting until the problem is resolved.
Miller said the contractors are no longer analyzing the long-term effects the mistakes could have on the structure, an analysis that has kept the project at a standstill since work stopped more than a year ago. Miller said the contractors' engineers, Sucevic Piccolomini & Kuchar, Uniontown, Pa., are trying to find a way to straighten the span.
Brenneman asked Miller why the problem wasn't caught sooner.
"Our inspectors caught the problem as soon as they were able," Miller said. He explained contractors are responsible for supplying state-registered surveyors to make sure their projects meet specifications.
The old viaduct was demolished June 23, 2001, and was supposed to be completed Nov. 30, 2001.
Federal funds are paying for 80 percent of the $3.5 million project, while state funds will pay for the other 20 percent.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at:
kgarrett@sharonherald.com
or Amanda Smith-Teutsch at: ateutsch@sharonherald.com