At Construction Sites, Work Continues Under A New Normal

Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support our critical reporting on the coronavirus by purchasing a digital subscription or donating directly to the newsroom. On Friday morning, as Peter Garrett sat in his truck next to a construction site in the middle of the Maine Turnpike, he noticed that 80 percent of northbound cars had out-of-state plates. That, to Garrett, was more concerning than returning to his construction site, where he supervises about 50 workers as they replace the existing Maine Turnpike toll plaza in York, just a few miles from the New Hampshire border. [Our COVID-19 tracker contains the most recent information on Maine cases by county] “In York, with the huge amount of out-of-state traffic, the guys would be much more concerned going to the local convenience store or gas station where they’re just completely exposed to those with out-of-state license plates than working in our group of Maine construction workers here,” he said. As construction has been deemed an essential business during Maine’s coronavirus-related economic shutdown, work has continued more or less as usual for thousands of workers, but with added safety measures, personal protective equipment and social distancing. Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN Linda Coan O'Kresik | BDN Construction along Rt.1A in Hampden. While about one in seven construction workers nationwide have been laid off, Maine has lost construction jobs since February at only about half that rate.