@Freedm It looked like they were adding additional shoring piles along the abutting building to the west; likely they found it at risk of slumping, requiring more reinforcement.
Thanks! Never thought of that, but that's a good idea and I certainly wouldn't have a problem with it. I'll walk by there later and ask around unless someone has a contact I could reach out to
In the meantime here's a pic I snapped this morning. The pit is getting pretty deep now