EAST STATE STREET ODOT deems Sharon bridge safe for traffic

Some repairs are needed to maintain the 15-ton limit, Mayor David Ryan said.
SHARON, Pa. -- The East State Street Bridge over the Shenango River is still safe for limited-weight traffic.
A Pennsylvania Department of Transportation bridge inspection team examined the open-grate structure Wednesday and found that it is still sound despite some obvious deterioration on the paved sidewalks, Mayor David O. Ryan said.
The bridge was supposed to be replaced next year but got bumped back to 2008, a change that has irritated some city officials who feel the structure, built in 1916, isn't safe.
The bridge had no weight restrictions until an inspection in June 2001 showed serious deterioration to beams supporting the structure.
PennDOT slapped a 5-ton weight limit on vehicles using the bridge until some repairs were made. The weight limit was then increased to 15 tons, which results in a ban on most large vehicles on the city's main east-west route through the business district.
Sidewalks in bad shape
The sidewalks, which PennDOT says are the city's responsibility to maintain, have shown serious surface deterioration over the last two years, with small holes appearing in the paved surface.
The city has been patching those holes but new ones keep appearing.
Ryan, who spoke with the engineer overseeing the bridge examination, said that the inspection showed that some additional repairs will be needed but that the bridge remains structurally sound.
The mayor said he urged PennDOT to make those repairs as quickly as possible to maintain the 15-ton limit.
Although the sidewalks have holes in their surfaces, the beams that support them also remain sound, Ryan added.