It seems to me from the general comments here on this subject that a couple of things are probably true of the posters to this thread:
1) none are civil engineers
2) none have been involved in anything more complex in this regard then perhaps getting a contractor to come out to their residence and install a patio...
3) none really know the hows, whats and why fors relative to "Government Contracting" requirements and/or standard terms and conditions for facilities and those applicable sections of the Federal Acquisition Requirements.
Suffice it to say I'm sure it's easy to sum up why the project isn't done to some degree because of all three reasons cited here, along with I'd hazard to guess the fact that the underlying infrastructure to which the contractor had to tie into for the thermal field probably wasn't entirely accurately documented since that's the sort of thing that used to happen when facilities were quickly built during and shortly after WWII...
I would only say I for one would be quite upset if the contractor tried to lay asphalt when the temperatures and weather conditions weren't warm enough and proper as if they did the asphalt installed would likely not last and the mess would only rapidly recur.
As far as why the contractor probably seems to be moving dirt from one place to another without purpose I'd guess it's because they are working in a confined area, one without a really adequate "lay-down" area that is big enough so they don't have to put things (i.e. material or what we lay people call "dirt") "here" and then move it "over there" so they can then work "here"...etc.
As for why they might be showing up with just a few guys and not seeming to make much progress that probably is a combination of the Government Contract that likely requires a continued good faith effort to make reasonable progress, Union Work Agreements that require the contractor to keep his preferred core team in his employ, and the general conditions that preclude them from physically trying to just put what would be the equivalent of nine woman in place to gestate a baby in a month...in other words something that would be impossible because to do the job right requires them to follow a logical sequence of operations and right now they have some real constraint precluding them from completing one or more key tasks in the critical path. Of course when the complexity of the whole job is nothing more than clearing away some sod, leveling an area so it has a modest pitch so it drains properly, compacting the soil and pouring a patio for example it's all pretty simple. Unfortunately installing a geothermal HVAC system and it's supporting infrastructure into a 40 year old building that's part of a campus of them, while a student body continues to use the facilities is probably a little more complex than anything I've had to do to my home.
Oh and yes a fair number of Kings Pointers are union members, though I am not, however I still enjoy out of season produce from Chile at a reasonable price and many other things the inter-modal transportation industry, much of which is unionized enables. I also sleep better at night knowing the US Armed Forces are well equipped with great technology and the right kinds and amounts of stuff they need to do their jobs, all of which was obtained for them by Government Contracts under the same set of rules and procedures used here, etc.
My point is I'm a non-union, small Government loving conservative leaning populist who is a registered republican, but these hopefully tongue in cheek sound bites really are wrongfully based on over-simplifications rather then thinking about what it really takes to get something done that isn't all that simple.