Citing concerns over the health and safety of its workers, heavy highway contractor Swank Construction voluntarily idled work on the $215-million I-70 Bridge project in West Virginia this week.
“The decision was made out of an abundance of caution,” says Ron Hags, human resources director at the New Kensington, Pa.-based company. Prior to the shutdown, there were about 100 workers on the project with more than half of those being Swank employees from outside the area, he adds.