COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – After crews did some patching work last Wednesday, the Business Loop I-69 repaving project in the Coldwater area has been at a standstill since then due to an ongoing labor dispute between the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association and members of Operating Engineers Local 324.
MITA locked out union members September 4, 2018 as the two sides have been unable to agree to a new contract. The old contract expired in June 2018.
Union members are responsible for operating heavy machinery at road construction sites, and since they are locked out, road construction projects like Business Loop I-69 and others around the state have come to a halt.
The Michigan Department of Transportation’s Nick Schirripa says they are powerless while the labor dispute plays itself out.
Winter weather is just a couple of months away, but Schirripa says there is no deadline yet that would push the project back to 2019.
