Member-only story
Luxury condos and corporate office buildings are not worth dying for
Construction companies are putting their workers — and the rest of us — at risk. It’s nuts.
Last week, two people working on the construction of Marriott’s new corporate headquarters in downtown Bethesda, MD, tested positive for the coronavirus. Their illness was entirely predictable — and preventable.
Hensel Phillips, the prime contractor for the $600m project, said it would temporarily suspend work, clean up the site and resume the work in a few days.
That’s nuts.
The politically influential construction industry wants special treatment. Industry executives told the Washington Post that (1) their work is essential and (2) they protect the health of workers. Neither claim holds up to scrutiny.
Of course, construction work tied to the coronavirus epidemic should continue. We need to expand hospitals and clinics, and to repair decaying roads used by emergency responders. Building places for the homeless (or soon to be homeless) to live is vital.
But new corporate headquarters for Marriott or Amazon? Luxury condos? Mass transit lines or high-speed rail? Surely these can be paused.
