Pennsylvania construction industry seeks to keep building
The constant cacophony that has trumpeted Philadelphia’s remarkable construction boom has quieted. Towering cranes are still, jackhammers are silent, and construction vehicles have stopped their beeping back-up warnings. And thousands of people in construction-related jobs are out of work.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Michaelle Bond reports on how Pennsylvania’s strict construction shutdown is impacting building professionals, in-process projects, and, by extension, the state’s regional economy.
Unlike other states, including New Jersey and California, where certain types of construction have been allowed to continue through the COVID-19 crisis, Pennsylvania is one of five states where construction workers have been sent home almost entirely, according to a tracker created by the National Association of Homebuilders.
Bond reports that a bill allowing the state to grant waivers for construction projects that can meet social distancing guidelines could be introduced as soon as this week.
