2 complaints, 100 compliments in Sharon

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Replacing a deteriorating bridge has caused area stores to lose customers.

By LAURE CIOFFI

VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU

SHARON, Pa. — Most days, there isn't a seat to be had at Niko & Lou's Coney Island Restaurant during the lunch rush.

But since May, there have been vacant spots at the lunch counter and booths since direct access to the State Street eatery has been blocked by the construction of a new State Street bridge.

"I lost probably 15 to 20 percent of my sales," said owner Nick Fatimus.

But he's not complaining.

"I'll get them back," he said. "I'll just absorb the losses."

Fatimus realizes it's only a temporary inconvenience while the bridge is constructed.

The old span, built in 1916, had serious deterioration to the point where pedestrians could see the water through the deck.

Mayor Bob Lucas said the construction of a new bridge was a long time coming because the old span's condition in recent years kept weight limits low, causing some detours of traffic.

The current detour has caused traffic congestion on Connelly Boulevard and Water Street, but the city has made some changes to help move it along, the mayor said.

Two traffic signals were removed and four-way stop signs put on Pitt Street, Silver Street and Sharpsville Avenue.

"I received two complaints and 100 compliments," Lucas said of the changes, which may become permanent. Other traffic signals have been altered to keep traffic moving, too, he said.

Work on the new bridge, which started in May, is on schedule, said Jason Daley, project supervisor with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

PennDOT hopes to have the $3.86 million state-funded bridge opened by mid- to late-October, he said.

The new span will be more ornate than the last one, with two alcoves where pedestrians can look at the water, baluster railings, flag poles and period lighting that will match other work being done on downtown streets.

Last week, workers were finishing the pier in the middle of the Shenango River, Daley said.

All of the foundation work is completed, and workers will start putting the columns in place, he said.

Work on the span should begin in a few weeks, Daley said. Delta Constructors Inc. of Hermitage is the main contractor for the job.

Happy businesses

Other businesses close to the construction say they are pleased the bridge work is under way even if their businesses are affected.

"It's affected us, but we are not dying," said Sheida Amiralaie, owner of Nina Nela bridal shop on the east side of the bridge. "We have to make our city better."

Amiralaie said most of her wedding parties for June and July were planned nearly a year in advance. The biggest drop-off has been in foot customers who may have shopped at The Winner, located on the other side of the river, and stopped at her store, too.

Winner supervisor Betty Jo Patterson said the construction hasn't hurt business.

"Most of our business comes from out of town. If somebody does drive three hours to get here, they find their way around the construction," Patterson said.

The Army-Navy store on the east side of the bridge also gets mostly out-of-town customers and hasn't seen a large decrease in business either, said Loretta Brown, who has worked in the store for 17 years.

In fact, they've had some new business from the construction workers, she said.

Plans to move

But Glenn Siminick, owner of Golden Memories Jewelry Store, said the bridge construction has firmed up his plans to move the store to Hermitage.

"People are basically lazy. They just don't want to come down here," he said.

Business wasn't great before construction began, but it dropped off dramatically when the street closed, he said. Siminick estimates business is down about 90 percent. He intends to move the business in December to a vacant spot in the building housing Jess's Restaurant on East State Street in Hermitage.

"I had already planned to move. This just cemented it," Siminick said.

cioffi@vindy.com

Sunday, July 29, 2007