Virginia DOT Halts Interchange Job For Five Days After Two Fatalities in Two Weeks
The Virginia Dept. of Transportation suspended construction for five days on a $650-million project in Springfield after two job site deaths of construction workers in two weeks. VDOT halted work early on June 7 on the "Mixing Bowl" interchange project while it did a safety check. Construction resumed on June 13, said Steve Titunik a VDOT spokesman. He says it is the first such "stand-down" by VDOT in northern Virginia. A third death occurred on the project last October.
Larry Cloyed, VDOT assistant resident engineer in charge of the construction program, says that besides the three fatalities, "We had recorded a number of near-misses." He adds, "We were seeing what we felt was a disturbing trend."