SPOKANE, Wash. — Safety issues briefly halted work on Spokane's North-South Freeway, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation and BNSF Railway.
BNSF Spokesperson Courtney Wallace told KREM that a work stoppage was ordered by the company, which is partnering with WSDOT on the North-South Freeway, after back-to-back "safety-related incidents" by a WSDOT contractor that weren't properly reported to BNSF.
Wallace described the incidents as "slips and falls."
WSDOT Spokesperson Ryan Overton confirmed a work stoppage had occurred and said the contractor was Halme Construction.
Wallace also said BNSF hoped to have work restarted next week once WSDOT and Halme set forth better safety protocols, and Overton told KREM on Thursday crews would be back working on the North-South Freeway on Monday. Wallace said BNSF hadn't heard back from WSDOT yet.
The following video is a report on work on the North-South Freeway being temporarily halted due to I-976.