A mild winter gave Mountain West construction workers an early start

During an icy, cold winter, construction is pretty limited. But in the Mountain West, construction jobs are seeing an early boost thanks to an unusually mild winter.

“You can't lay asphalt in temperatures that are below, I think, 45 degrees — like, it doesn't work,” said Jodie Green, who’s in Flathead Valley, Montana, with Schellinger Construction.

When their road contracts started this spring, full work crews hit the ground paving.

“We didn't have a lot of snow on the ground, so we weren't having to wait on ice to get off of the roads or the bridges,” she said.

A strong start to construction showed up in Montana’s job numbers.

“We've seen about 2,100 additional jobs in construction through the first four months of the year,” explained Amy Watson, Montana’s chief economist.

She added that normally they don’t see a ramp up until the snow has reliably melted — “that July through September time frame.”

Colorado also saw roughly 4,000 extra construction jobs. In Park City, Utah, which is known for its deep powdery snow, workers were building an outdoor city swimming pool.

“It has a climbing wall, has a slide for toddlers,” said recreation director Ken Fisher. Construction finished a week earlier than planned.

“It's easier to work when it's 40, 50 degrees than if it is 20 degrees,” he said.

The pool is opening this weekend — just in time for summer break.