If contractors for the Oakland Avenue Viaduct haven't submitted an acceptable plan to fix the bridge by Dec. 1, PennDOT is going to take over and complete the project, according to Mercer County commissioners.

Commissioners also announced Friday there are more problems with the viaduct than anyone realized.

Work halted two years ago on the viaduct -- which spans U.S. Route 62, also known as Connelly Boulevard in Sharon -- when it was discovered the pedestals that hold the bridge supports were not aligned.

Since then, engineers have found minor cracks in the pedestals and that the steel girders supporting the bridge aren't flush to those pedestals, Mercer County President Commissioner Gene E. "Cloyd" Brenneman said. Some of the pedestals are falling, he said.

The culvert under Connelly Boulevard also was damaged when the former viaduct was imploded in June 2001. That will also have to be repaired, Commissioner Olivia Lazor said. The culvert carries Pine Run beneath Connelly.

Contractor Carmen Paliotta Construction Inc., South Park, Pa., has submitted corrective plans for the viaduct but wouldn't guarantee the bridge will last for 50 years, Brenneman said. Attempts to contact the company Friday were unsuccessful.