Source: http://patch.com, November 8, 2016
By: Vincent Salzo

Officials are suspending roadside maintenance activities at the Exit 33 reconstruction site until the situation can be completely assessed.

Asbestos has been found in the soil at the site of the planned Exit 33 reconstruction project on I-95 in Stratford and the state Department of Transportation is suspending roadside maintenance activities at the site until the situation can be more completely assessed, according to officials.
DOT officials and the Department of Public Health recently announced that air and ground sampling and monitoring will be conducted after the asbestos was found. Preliminary indications are that there is no immediate threat to public health, according to the two state agencies.
“There is no reason to believe at this time that the asbestos, which is a known carcinogen, found at the Exit 33 project site is posing an exposure concern to workers or the community,” DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino said in a press release.
At this time, there is no construction activity occurring in the vicinity of Exit 33. The asbestos was detected during preliminary design work for this project.
The DOT found the presence of both Raymark Industries waste and asbestos in surface soils at several locations, although the source of the surface asbestos contamination has not been pinpointed.
EPA Regional Administrator Curt Spalding said the area was “not previously investigated during the testing of more than 500 properties by EPA in the 1990s because there was no evidence of Raymark waste being dumped there.”
“Fortunately, in September, EPA announced its final cleanup plan for several Raymark waste areas which provides funding and will allow the Exit 33 area to be addressed in a consistent manner that ensures protection of public health,” Spalding said in the news release.
DOT officials surveyed the site last week to determine the best path forward, which will include a testing and monitoring program for the area to measure specific air soil asbestos levels, followed by any specific recommendations once the data is collected and analyzed.
The testing is expected to begin in mid-to-late November.
The DOT is also suspending any roadside maintenance activities through this stretch of I-95 until the situation can be more completely assessed.
“The air and ground monitoring is a prudent and precautionary strategy,” DOT Commissioner James P. Redeker said. “In the coming weeks, motorists may see crews along the highway conducting these tests. To date, we are unaware of any adverse effects to anyone in this vicinity. We will continue to advise workers and the people of Connecticut as developments warrant.”
The DOT is in ongoing consultation with the federal Environmental Protection Agency regarding the new Raymark waste findings.
The DOT’s response to the surface asbestos contamination is being coordinated with the DPH, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Department of Labor and ConnOSHA – the Connecticut arm of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to the news release. DEEP, specifically, will be involved in the monitoring and any remediation process along with the federal EPA.
“We are working closely with DOT, state and local health agencies, and the U.S. EPA to ensure that this area is managed in a manner that minimizes risk to public health or the environment,” DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said. “Our goal is to work together to make certain the public and on-site workers are protected from exposures to any contaminated soil both now and in the future.”
Stratford has been home to companies, such as Raymark Industries and Tilo Roofing Company, which used asbestos in their products for decades. Specifically, the DOT has identified a previously unknown deposit of Raymark waste located below the surface and not known to have been disturbed in the recent Moses Wheeler Bridge reconstruction activities, according to officials.