March 24--Emergency repairs to a bridge on the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley is at a standstill after crews found two bird nests holding hatchlings of a federally protected species.
Construction crews stopped repairs Friday on the Theodore Street Bridge after the contractor, Skanska USA, Inc., determined it couldn't work around the nests of the species Say's Phoebes, according to the California Department of Transportation.
Workers found eggs and three hatchlings inside the nests. The birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
The $2-million emergency repair contract was awarded to Skanska USA to replace two girders on the west portion of the overpass, which has been closed since January.
The girders were damaged by a flatbed trailer hauling an excavator.
Construction will resume once the birds abandon their nests.
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