All major road work is done by contractors in the us. That was in Europe, and likely contractors as well, and they likely had huge running over fines over their heads. And if you see guys leaning on shovels, they are usually spotting equipment (mandatory while digging) or are waiting for a step to be done so they can do their trade. Driving by us you will sometimes see multiple guys watching a machine dig, but there is nothing we can do until we have a hole to work in.