Asbestos causes delay to the construction of a new prison

Grayson County, VA - The building of a $100 million state prison has been delayed due to a vein of asbestos being struck on the construction site.

Last month, a contractor who was grading the site found a brownish material he thought looked like asbestos. Work was brought to a stop on May 9. The sample was tested and state officials have confirmed that it is the cancer-causing substance.

Health officials also performed air quality tests to determine if there were any asbestos fibers in the air. Results showed that there were none.

The state officials have started to develop a plan on how to deal with the hazardous material so that construction can resume. A small crew is expected to begin work to remediate the asbestos vein next week.

In the mean time, signs have been posted on the site warning about the presence of asbestos, and the contractor in charge of working on the vein is planning to conduct awareness training for construction employees working on-site.

The construction company said the delay will not likely affect plans to open the prison in 2010 since grading of the site was performed ahead of schedule. However, the unexpected need for the removal or containment of the asbestos will add to the project's cost. It hasn't been determined what the additional amount will be yet.

The prison is expected to bring 375 new jobs with an estimated payroll of $6 million to the county.

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