CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT, 06131-7546

FOR RELEASE: January 24, 2017

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 FAX: (860) 594-3065 WEB SITE: www.ct.gov/dot

CTDOT Testing for Contamination along I-95 in Stratford

       The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced today that it is conducting additional sampling activities after asbestos was found in soil at the site of a CTDOT project involving the reconstruction of Exit 33 on I-95 in Stratford.   Weather permitting, the work will begin on Friday, January 27, 2017.

      CTDOT, in partnership with the NP-2 Union, Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Labor and ConnOSHA – the Connecticut arm of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has developed a work plan to assess maintenance activities in the area of Exit 33.

      As part of the activities, the public will see Maintenance Crews performing their duties along the highway within the CTDOT Right-Of-Way.  These maintenance staff will be wearing personal protective equipment while performing routine maintenance activities.  Perimeter air monitoring will be conducted in all directions around these maintenance activities to document air quality beyond the site perimeter.

      Like many Connecticut towns, Stratford has been home to companies, such as Raymark Industries and Tilo Roofing Company, using asbestos in their products for decades.  Specifically, CTDOT 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.