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Neighbors and study group press MBTA and city over asbestos in Alewife tunnel work; city asks MBTA for additional protections
Summary
Residents and neighborhood groups pressed the MBTA and city staff about asbestos found in fill at the Alewife site for a new MBTA access tunnel. City staff said the MBTA has agreed to focus early excavation on the top layer where asbestos levels were highest and that the city will continue to press for stronger measures and community involvement.
Residents and members of the Alewife Study Group urged the City Council Feb. 3 to demand strict asbestos protections for MBTA work on an access tunnel next to Russell Field and surrounding neighborhoods. Speakers said they had alerted city and state agencies to asbestos risks on the site and pressed the MBTA to use the most protective abatement methods.
City staff reported that the MBTA’s soil testing showed asbestos-containing material chiefly in the top 0–4 feet of fill and that MBTA agreed to concentrate initial excavation and mitigation measures on that layer. City staff and health department representatives said they will continue to press the MBTA for protective measures, to coordinate with the Alewife Study Group, and to await peer-reviewed results of state studies examining airborne asbestos data from comparable projects.
Why it mattered: The MBTA project is adjacent to residential areas and Russell Field. Community members expressed concern about airborne asbestos exposure during excavation and urged the MBTA to follow the city’s asbestos protection ordinance or adopt equivalent measures, including protective tenting and aggressive air monitoring.
What happened at the meeting: Council placed the city manager’s report about the Alewife/MBTA site on file and city staff said they would continue technical conversations with the MBTA, coordinate with the Alewife Study Group and evaluate peer-review findings from the state study. Several resident speakers asked the council to press for continued use of the strictest containment methods.
Next steps: City staff said they will continue meetings with the MBTA, follow up on the state study, and encourage the MBTA to adopt additional containment measures for the top layer of fill. Neighborhood advocates have requested continued involvement and federally recognized peer review of MBTA contractor studies.
