SPOKANE, Wash. — Construction on Spokane's North-South Corridor is partially on pause due to Governor Jay Inslee's stay at home order.
The Washington Department of Transportation said crews would have been continuing to move railroad lines to make room for the new freeway, but they have suspended most of that work.
Now, the only thing crews are working on is essential utility work.
Before the Coronavirus started construction had required crews to disturb waterlines, so they are working to restore residents with that essential service.
"Of course all that work right now being covid compliant, following the CDC guidelines. So we are taking those precautions, our contractors are taking those precautions as they're working out in the field," Ryan Overton, Washington State Department of Department spokesperson, said.
As for funding for the project, WSDOT said they are still on track to get the freeway finished in the next 10 years. But they did say there is a chance could change given the current climate of the economy.
They also stressed that in the grand scheme of the decades of work this project requires, this short pause on work should not change the freeway's timeline too much.