For the first time since 2014, the Pueblo plant workforce has fallen below 1,000 members, as demolition approaches during the closure phase and employees start their next professional and personal chapters.  

“I have always said that the legacy of the project would be its highly skilled, hardworking people – so, while it’s sad to be winding down our mission, I am proud to be able to share the talents of our workforce with other companies and projects,” said Walton Levi, site project manager, Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, or PCAPP.

Levi said the plant first exceeded 1,000 employees in April 2014 as construction and systemization were coming to a close and preparation began ramping up for the start of the Explosive Destruction System in 2015.

He said the workforce hit its peak of 1,601 employees in November 2021 as the main plant conducted its destruction campaign of more than 383,000 105mm projectiles and trial burn testing continued in the Static Detonation Chamber complex.

In anticipation of the end of destruction operations and elimination of the Colorado stockpile, the Bechtel Pueblo Team began offering career transition services for employees in February 2022. The team scheduled job fairs with representatives from existing contractors as well as local and state companies along with workshops on resume updating and interviewing to help employees transition to new positions once their PCAPP positions came to an end. 

Another 200 employees will be released in May, bringing the workforce total to about 800, and more later in the year, with expectations that the workforce will near 350 by the end of the year. Demolition of facilities is expected throughout 2026 with administrative closeout in 2027.