SHARON, PA. Contractor begins bridge reconstruction

The contractor is going through with plans to take the bridge apart.
SHARON, Pa. -- There were some temporary lane restrictions on the Shenango Valley Freeway as a crane was moved into position to remove overhead brackets from the Oakland Avenue Viaduct.
Traffic was limited to one lane in each direction for a brief period Tuesday, and there could be a repeat of those conditions Friday, said Mark Miller, Mercer County bridge engineer.
The county owns the bridge.
Carmen Paliotta Contracting Inc. of Library, Pa., contractor on the $3.6 million bridge replacement project, put up a new bridge two years ago, but the project was never completed because of a misalignment problem that gave the bridge a slight "S" shape.
Now, Paliotta plans to dismantle the bridge, correct problems with the concrete bridge pedestals believed to be responsible for the misalignment and then reconstruct it.
Disagreements
Miller said the company has yet to submit its dismantling plan, and the work being down now is in preparation for that part of the project.
Paliotta has said it doesn't need to submit such a plan, but Miller said the company has agreed to prepare one and it is expected any day now.
The debate over who will pay for the dismantling and reconstruction is expected to end up in court with the contractor saying the misalignment is the county's fault and it will sue to recover additional costs incurred.
The county maintains that the misalignment is the contractor's fault and says the Paliotta must bear those additional costs.
The company has already been paid $2.9 million for work done in demolishing the old bridge and putting up a new one.