US-based Lehigh Hanson Inc has delayed the start of the US$600m expansion project at its Mitchell plant in Lawrence County, Indiana. Construction may be delayed by up to a year due to uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The plant will reportedly continue to finalise the engineering and delivery of equipment but will limit the amount of site work during 2020 and will move it into early 2021. Therefore, the projected start-up date has been moved from September 2022 to the 3Q23.

"A construction project of this magnitude has numerous components, such as supply chain certainty, material deliveries and, importantly, worker availability. These are tied to precise construction scheduling timelines, all of which have been negatively impacted," said Jerry Miller, Mitchell plant manager.