MERCER County, state request more facts on bridge

The county is awaiting another report from the bridge builder.
MERCER, Pa. -- Mercer County Bridge Engineer Mark Miller said county and state personnel "had some good discussions" with the Oakland Avenue Viaduct contractor Tuesday, but there's more to be done.
Carmen Paliotta Contracting of Library, Pa., was hired nearly two years ago to replace the 300-foot span over the Shenango Valley Freeway in a $3.6 million contract.
At issue
The job was to be finished in November 2001, but the county halted work around that time after learning that the bridge's steel frame was out of alignment as much as 3 inches.
Miller said that didn't mean the bridge would be unsafe, but it did raise some questions about the long-term viability of the structure, and the county has been trying to get detailed analyses of the structure from Paliotta ever since.
The county did get another report from Paliotta on Monday and met with company officials Tuesday.
"We offered some suggestions to the contractor," Miller said, referring to the specific type of information the county and state, which are footing the project bill, want.
Paliotta has said the bridge is sound, but the county and state haven't seen the necessary supporting data to reach that same conclusion, Miller said.
The contractor is to get back to the county by Tuesday with suggestions on how to resolve the dispute, he said.
The bottom line is, the county and state want a structure they can accept, but all of the information received from the contractor so far hasn't provided that, Miller said.
The county's position is that the bridge must be built according to specifications, which hasn't been done; or the contractor must be able to show that what was built won't be a detriment to the longevity of the structure, he said.
gwin@vindy.com