It took architect Joseph Baermann Strauss 12 years to convince the government and public it was a good idea to build the Golden Gate Bridge.

No local government officials or residents seem to need convinced it's a good idea to rebuild the headline-grabbing Oakland Avenue Viaduct in Sharon, but today the project, which has dragged on for well over two years, may suffer another major setback.

This is the day bridge contractor Carmen Paliotta Contracting Inc., South Park, Pa., said it was going to start tearing down the half-built bridge.

Local officials Sunday didn't know for sure if Paliotta Contracting was really going to begin deconstructing the bridge but attorneys for Paliotta reportedly said Friday the company planned to start work today.

"All we know is that some time ago they said they were going to tear it down," Mercer County Commissioner Chairman Gene E. "Cloyd" Breneman said Sunday afternoon. "It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings."

Breneman and fellow Commissioner Oliva M. Lazor said the county sent a letter to the contractor Friday stating any repair plan for the viaduct would have to be approved by the county and PennDOT. Breneman said primarily PennDOT would have to approve the plan because "they call the final shots."

Breneman said county and state inspectors would be ready if Paliotta Contracting did begin work today. He said the inspectors would not only oversee the work but also assist the contractor's engineers.

Sharon Mayor David O. Ryan said he hadn't heard anything about whether the bridge, which spans Connelly Boulevard, would actually be torn apart.

Ryan said no one contacted the city about closing streets for work or anything else. Contractors could start to do preliminary work to disassemble the viaduct, such as removing the rebar on the deck, without closing the road beneath, he said.

Trouble has plagued the viaduct project since November 2001 when work halted after engineers discovered the steel pedestals that support the bridge were misaligned. Since that time PennDOT and county officials have wrangled with Paliotta Contracting and their attorney as to who is at fault for the mistakes and how to fix the problem.

On Oct. 31 county commissioners announced they sent a letter to the contractor stating if the contractor did not submit an acceptable plan to fix the viaduct an begin work by Dec. 1, PennDOT was going to take over the project and Paliotta Contracting would be responsible for any work that cost more than the original $3.6 million price tag. Paliotta has already been paid $2.9 million.

Paliotta Contracting's attorney responded Nov. 6 by telling commissioners they planned to tear down the viaduct unless they heard otherwise from the county. Paliotta Contracting also said they plan to analyze the pedestals to determine if they are at fault for the mistakes.

Eighty percent of the project is paid for with federal money while 20 percent comes from the state. Both the contractor's attorney and county commissioners said they expect litigation over who will pay additional costs to finish the project.

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

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