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View Larger + Last Thursday, a consultant working for RIDOT to take more samples - but could not as the agency hired the wrong sized backhoe Families who live adjacent to the site controlled by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) where massive piles of contaminated soil were dumped have filed a lawsuit against RIDOT.
Last Thursday, a consultant working for RIDOT to take more samples - but could not as the agency hired the wrong sized backhoe
This is just the latest development in the contamination case in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence tied to the 6/10 connector project -- a construction project that costs hundreds of millions of dollars.
The suits were filed in Providence Superior court on behalf of the homeowners of two adjacent houses — Teofilo and Virginia Carmona and their adjacent neighbor Miriam Bonilla.
The families have filed suit alleging in part that “…the actions of the State on the Adjacent Parcel have resulted in the distribution of soils containing toxins and pollutants onto the Property and into the Building as a result of the storage soil and operations conducted by the State on the Adjacent Parcel."
The lawsuit asserts that “the Property and Building has been contaminated by such toxins and pollutants as a result of the operations conducted by the State on the Adjacent Parcel. And damage was done by the construction on the site loading and unloading the contaminated materials."
View Larger + The lawsuits by the Carmona and the Bonilla families were filed in Providence Superior Court PHOTO: GoLocal The lawsuit states, “The operation of the heavy machinery or equipment on the Adjacent Parcel has caused significant vibrating, shaking, shuddering and quaking of the Building and the Property. The significant vibrating, shaking, shuddering and quaking of the Building and the Property has caused damage to the structure of the Building and surrounding infrastructure and improvements."
The lawsuits by the Carmona and the Bonilla families were filed in Providence Superior Court PHOTO: GoLocal
The site was managed by Barletta Engineering/Heavy Machine -- the lead contractor on the multi-hundred million 6/10 connector project -- who was ordered to remove the contaminated piles in the fall of 2020. The company and other private firms involved were not named in the initial lawsuits.
The families also assert that “damage to the Property and the Building was foreseeable and the State failed to take any remedial action in response to complaints regarding the activities occurring on the Adjacent Parcel. The State is liable for the actions of its agents and the State’s failure to prevent the damage to the Property and the Building.”
View Larger + On Friday, a larger backhoe was delivered to the site - testing is supposed to take place this coming week PHOTO: GoLocal More Testing on Site
On Friday, a larger backhoe was delivered to the site - testing is supposed to take place this coming week PHOTO: GoLocal
On Thursday, contractors working for RIDOT and an engineer for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) were onsite to use a backhoe to dig for additional samples. But the backhoe hired by RIDOT was too small and the testing had to be delayed.
A larger backhoe was delivered to the site on Friday.
"We sent a crew out to conduct more sampling but because of the snow cover and ground temperature were not able to make progress today. We plan on following up using a bigger excavator early next week. This is part of our efforts to fully address lingering concerns brought to us by residents and others to verify soil removal and that there are no remaining safety issues at the site," said Michael Healey, chief public affairs officer for RIDEM.
For the Carmona and Bonilla Families - RIDOT Has Been a Nightmare
The Carmona family has lived on a one-block adjacent street for 20 plus years in Providence. They immigrated from Venezuela, raised two children, and their oldest of the four grandchildren just graduated from the University of Rhode Island. Their daughter was pregnant.
Then, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the contractor Barletta selected a piece of state land next to the Carmona's home as a staging area for hundreds of tons of soil — soil that RIDOT was forced to admit was contaminated after repeatedly denying it. RIDOT Director Peter Alviti appeared on talk radio to deny the material was contaminated.
The admission by the state came months after James White, President of Local 57 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, began raising concerns and a GoLocal investigation.
Bonilla, who lives next door to the Carmonas on Pilduski Street, has also filed suit citing the contaminated material and impact of the months of construction activities. Both parties are represented by the Providence law firm DarrowEverett.
View Larger + The Carmona family at URI graduation before RIDOT's project PHOTO: Carmona family RIDOT Tried to Force Carmona to Sign Sweeping Release
The Carmona family at URI graduation before RIDOT's project PHOTO: Carmona family
When the Carmonas first raised concerns about the soils and the pounding, RIDOT presented them with a legal document, a sweeping release from liability for the state and its consultants and agents -- forever. The Carmonas say a top RIDOT official repeatedly pressured them to sign it.
For more than a year, the family's backyard, car, and grill all were blanketed with the soil from the contaminated pile coming through the fence into their backyard. Everything was covered.
The Carmona family say they have suffered from the project that was loud, dirty and they worried about the impact of the soil constantly blowing onto their property. The family says the construction site has been far more than a nuisance. They say it has done damage to their home, their lives, and they worry now about the impact on their health.
The Carmonas say the cracks in the home's foundation, concrete steps, and in the interior walls of their home are all as a result of the activities at the RIDOT project.
But the real worry was the soil piled up nearly to the second story that was "everywhere."
In the fall of 2020, the biggest concern for the family was that Carmona’s daughter was pregnant. The family repeatedly contacted the RIDOT and the contractor asking to stop the pounding of machinery and control the materials from spreading onto their home and into their yard. The family asked RIDOT for relief to get their daughter an apartment during her pregnancy.
RIDOT made an offer to make the Carmonas a payment, a proposed payment that came with a far-reaching release from liability. According to the RIDOT document provided to GoLocal by the family, "The Carmonas alleged that they have been injured and/or damaged as a result of the interim construction activities related to the claim."
The total amount offered by the state was $12,600.
There was just one issue for the Carmonas. The release went far beyond payments to relocate their daughter for the period of the pregnancy -- it was an absolute release that indemnified RIDOT as well as contractors like Barletta.
"The Carmonas, for themselves, and their agents, representatives, heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns...release forever the State of Rhode Island and its Department of Transportation, together with their respective officers, directors, employees, representative, consultants, and agents...from any and all matters, actions, cause of action, suits, debts, dues, sums of money, accounts, reckonings, bonds, bills, specialties, covenants, contracts, controversies, agreements, promises, variances, liabilities...arising out of the claim and/or the Project," stated the release -- in part.
RIDOT was asking the Carmonas to give up any legal claim for any damages in perpetuity both for the state and its contractors.
“In October of 2019, David Walsh tried to get us to sign a release for any damages, we showed it to a family friend who said ‘do not sign’ the release. [Walsh] asked us repeatedly [to sign the agreement] and told us to hurry,” said Mr. Carmona during an interview in his backyard.
Walsh, who then served as Assistant Director of Administrative Services, told GoLocal in the fall of 2020 he refused to discuss the specifics of the release and payment. But Walsh told GoLocal, “Sometime this summer, someone from Barletta went over and talked to the Carmonas about the problems.”
Walsh has subsequently left RIDOT.
View Larger + RIDOT Release. The Carmonas say Walsh pressured them to sign it. They refused.
RIDOT Release. The Carmonas say Walsh pressured them to sign it. They refused.
“You probably should speak to someone at RDOT's communication office. I do know this, the supervisor for Barletta went to Mr. Carmona and talked to him,” Walsh added before ending the call.
GoLocal reached out to then-Barletta’s supervisor on the site, Dennis Ferreira, who is the contact for the Carmonas — he did not respond to phone calls or texts. The company did not respond to press requests and the company’s attorney did not respond to requests to connect GoLocal with Ferreira.
Ferreira is no longer the supervisor on the 6/10 project.
Feds Interview Barletta Supervisor on 6/10 Project, Tells GoLocal Decisions Made by Another Official
The ongoing federal investigation related to the dumping of contaminated material in Olneyville tied to the 6/10 construction project is advancing.
Federal agents visited the home of a supervisor of Barletta Engineering — the company is the lead contractor on both the 6/10 project — the state's largest construction project as well as the contractor on another RIDOT project Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station and Bus Hub.
Combined the two projects have received hundreds of millions in federal and state funding.
Truckloads and truckloads of contaminated material were transported to a Plainfield Street location adjacent to homes and small businesses in June of 2020 by Barletta and under the supervision of the RIDOT.
GoLocal has learned the federal investigation continues.
On Sunday, March 7, 2021, federal agents interviewed Barletta supervisor Jeremy Oliveira about the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train Station project at his home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts about moving contaminated soil from the Pawtucket site to the 6/10 project site.
Oliveira in a phone interview with GoLocal on Monday confirmed that federal agents visited his home, but denied that he knew where the contaminated soil was being taken for disposal after it left the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train Station site.
“It was my job to load the trucks,” said Oliveira, referring to the dozens of trucks that moved material from the Pawtucket/Central Falls site to the 6/10 Olneyville site on Plainfield Street.
"Nothing goes without Dennis' approval," said Oliveira. "He instructed the trucks to take it to the 6/10 site."
Oliveira’s reference to "Dennis" is Dennis Ferreira. He is the project supervisor on the 6/10 Project who oversees the day-to-day operation of the massive construction project that each day is working on multiple sites across acres and acres in Providence neighborhoods and involves hundreds of workers.
Neighbors have complained that the contamination made their lives miserable. Last fall, one of the families -- Virginia and Teofilo (or “Ramon” to his friends) Carmona who live adjacent to where the contaminated soil was piled, told GoLocal about the impact of the dumping.
"We cannot use our backyard. This is directly all over and often when the wind blows you cannot see because the soil goes everywhere,” said Mr. Carmona.
In October of 2020, GoLocal unveiled the U.S. Attorney in Providence issued subpoenas for materials and witnesses to present before a Federal grand jury relating to the 6/10 project.
Barletta executives did not respond to requests for comment.
Rhode Island environmental officials in November working from a court-issued search warrant examined and took samples from the Pawtucket/Central Falls Trains Station site.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
RI State Police Shut Down Investigation Into 6/10 Contamination After Internal Memo Unveiled Issues
Prior to GoLocal unveiling contamination at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation 6/10 Construction site, a State Police officer had begun an investigation and taken samples but the investigation was shut down by Colonel James Manni.
GoLocal has now secured a copy of this internal State Police memo.
Initially, the State Police began the state’s investigation but it was almost immediately shifted to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management — that agency has only one investigator.
On Saturday, September 5, 2020, Lt. Michael Casey wrote in a detailed memo to Captain Matthew C. Moynihan, a member of the State Police's command staff, regarding contamination.
The memo stated that a retired state trooper had contacted Casey to alert him to the issue. But nearly as soon as the investigation began, it was over. On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, GoLocal broke the story of the contamination, EXCLUSIVE: Union Official Says RIDOT Allows Contractor to Illegally Dump Contaminates at 6/10 Site.
Later that Tuesday morning a meeting was held by Governor Gina Raimondo's office hosted by staffer Nicole Verdi -- that meeting included top staff from RIDEM, RIDOT, and the State Police.
Later, GoLocal unveiled a federal investigation. GoLocal has learned that law enforcement has conducted interviews relating to the ongoing investigation in the past few weeks.
“On September 4, 2020, I spoke with retired Lt. Eric LaRiviere regarding information he learned from a friend of his, James White. Lt. LaRiviere stated that Mr. White had evidence that Barletta Corporation was illegally mixing and disposing toxic railroad dirt and rocks on the massive Route 10 @ Route 6 construction site. Lt. LaRiviere continued and stated that James White is the Business Manager and President of the Local 57 and is very concerned about his employees working and being in contact with these possibly contaminated mixtures,” wrote Casey in the memo.
“At this point in the conversation, I became concerned about our Troopers working details in this area, the particulates that were probably being dispersed into the air, breathed in, their uniforms contaminated and the troopers bringing these small particles to their home. Lt. LaRiviere asked if I would speak to Mr. White regarding the evidence he has to substantiate his beliefs. Lt. Lariviere stated that he would have Mr. White contact me right away,” wrote Casey.
“At 9:09 AM, I spoke with Mr. White who stated approximately two (2) months ago his Local 57 workers started noticing trucks from different companies transporting in a darker colored soil from sites in Massachusetts (MBTA Orient Heights Station located in Boston, MA) and Pawtucket. These trucks would drop off this darker soil at the corner of Pocasset Street and the overpass of Route 6 and leave this soil in very large piles (possibly 1,000s of yards),” stated the memo written by Casey.
In a Freedom of information Act request by GoLocal to Massachusetts, officials unveiled documents that showed that Commonwealth officials gave specific direction to the contractor for disposal options. White alleges the contamination was transported from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, but that was not an authorized disposal option. At the Massachusetts site, the Jamaica Plain MBTA construction project, Barletta was also the contractor.
According to Casey’s September memo, “The Local 57 workers immediately noticed that this darker soil smelt of oil and observed various items that would be associated with railroad fixtures such as, railroad spikes, wooden ties, springs and other heavy metal objects. It should be noted that each member of Local 57 [is] required to take a 40 hour class on hazardous materials so that they can learn certain indicators of soil and rocks that potentially contain contaminated and hazardous material. The workers were then instructed to mix this darker material with the native soil, but first they needed to send this darker material through a large dirt and soil screener to get these heavy metal objects out of the soil. Mr. White stated that his workers actually observed various railroad items stuck in the screeners almost clogging up that machine.”
Further, the memo outlined, "At approximately 10:30 AM, Mr. White responded to the Hope Valley Barracks to be interviewed and present documentation regarding his allegations. Mr. White informed me and Corporal Doyle that he has previously made complaints to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) with no avail. Mr. White then made a formal typed complaint to Director Peter Alviti stating in part:
“Last week, I received photographs of alleged hazardous waste being dumped on the site to be used as fill for the project (6/10 reconstruction project). The truck drivers delivering this material said they were hauling it from an MBTA railroad station in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. My Members are being directed to immediately mix this fill into the native soils as soon as it is dumped out of the trucks,” wrote Casey.
"Mr. White then showed me a report from R.I Analytical (RIA) who are specialists in Environmental Services and located at 131 Coolidge Street, Hudson, MA 01749. This report reveals that R.I. Analytical conducted a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Test (PAH) instead of a Volatile Organic Compound Test (VOC) and showed that the soil contains 3.4 parts of Benzo(a)pyrene with the Rhode Island Industrial/Commercial standard limits being at 0.8. In addition, Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene was detected at 1.8 parts with industrial/commercial standards being set at 0.8," wrote Casey -- the report was later provided to GoLocal.
RIDOT Director Peter Alviti repeatedly claimed that there was no contamination on the site.
But Alviti's claims were false. Ultimately, the contamination was unveiled and RIDOT and the contractor were ordered to remove the massive pile of contaminated soil piled up in the Olneyville neighborhood next to homes -- homes with small children.
According to Casey's memo, "A quick search of Benzo(a)pyrene revealed that Short-term health effects can include a skin rash or eye irritation with redness and/or a burning sensation. Exposure to sunlight and the chemical together can increase these effects. Long-term health effects can be deadly. Benzo[a]pyrene is a probable cancer-causing agent in humans. In relation to cancer and the bodies function to this compound, by inducing G (guanine) to T (thymidine) transversions in transversion hotspots within p53, there is a probability that benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide inactivates the tumor suppression ability in certain cells, leading to cancer. To save time, Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene is also listed as a Special Health Hazard chemical."
Samples Collected But Never Tested
"With the above information and to corroborate Mr. White’s assertions, at 1:00 PM I met Mr. White at the material mixing site located off Pocasset Street that abuts the Route 6 overpass, in the City of Providence. At this location, Mr. White showed me several piles of dirt and stones. I immediately observed an obvious discoloration in soils from the native soil pile and the larger-sized discolored rocks from the pile of smaller and cleaner rocks. I could also detect the smell of oil coming from the dirtier piles. Mr. White then brought me over to the large screener that was being used to sift the newly trucked-in material. Stuck within this screener were railroad spikes, wooden railroad ties and other heavy metal, coiled typed metal bars. A railroad spike and two (2) wooden ties were seized along with some soil and rocks. It should be noted, that Barletta allowed all construction employees to leave early for the Labor Day weekend, however, Mr. White had an “employee” who was told to mix the two (2) different materials stick around to explain the amount of material she has mixed over the last two (2) months. Mr. White, along with the site’s heavy machine operator showed me a huge pile of fill that was both tan and dark in color and was used to fill areas of the construction site. It was abundantly clear to me this was a mixture of the native soil," wrote Casey in the memo.
Casey took samples when he visited the RIDOT site with White. GoLocal has learned that those samples were never tested for contamination by the Rhode Island State Police.
The Casey memo states, "With this information, I instructed Corporal Doyle to try and contact the University of Rhode Island to see if they had a testing facility that could conduct a PAH screen test of their own. The reason for this is because Mr. White explained that Barletta conducted their own tests of the soil that conveyed negative results for any hazardous material, which Mr. White claims was taken from a non-contaminated area. It should also be noted that other dark soil/material was being transported directly in from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation Pawtucket site. Moreover, Mr. White advised that he had members of Local 57 watch a large dirt loader’s fill dump trucks at the Pawtucket DOT Facility and follow these trucks to the mixing site at Pocasset Avenue where this they watched, took pictures and videotaped this dirt being spread all along the construction site. Mr. White presented to the State Police several photographs obtained by his members corroborating the Local 57’s allegations."
The memo goes on to state, "With the above information, I called several retired sources who wanted to remain anonymous and asked about the possible dumping of old railroad fill. The sources stated that not only is Benzo(a)pyrene a hazardous and toxic material, but the railroad fill contains other containments such as: coal ash, lead, arsenic, oil, gasoline, herbicides, asbestos, other metals and anything else that could be transported. In addition, Cardi Corporation was investigated back in 1993 and 1994 for dumping railroad fill in their construction site but it is unclear of the outcome of that investigation."
In November -- two months after Casey's memo and GoLocal's first report -- GoLocal unveiled law enforcement activity expanded beyond the RIDOT site in Olneyville site to a second RIDOT site. The Pawtucket/Central Falls Train Station is also managed by Barletta. "While we cannot comment on the substance of the investigation, we can confirm that DEM is executing a state court-authorized search warrant at the site," said the Rhode Island Attorney General's office to GoLocal at the time.
Casey's memo outlined the scope of the amount of material that had been moved to the 6/10 project. "Mr. White has estimated that approximately 4,000 tons of this potentially contaminated material has been trucked from the MBTA and the RIDOT. Additionally, Mr. White has explained that since his complaints to the RIDOT, the delivery of this material has been halted, but Mr. White is now receiving legal correspondence from the RIDOT that to him feel like he is being subpoenaed. Mr. White is also concerned because Barletta has a contract to start a bridge renovation project in Rhode Island where some of the union members overheard that more of this product would be dumped at that site," wrote Casey.
Casey's memo referenced another Barletta project -- the Henderson Bridget project.
"Mr. White presented a letter from Mabbert & Associates located at 105 Central Street, Suite #4100, Stoneham, MA 02180 that conducted a 'Request for Approval for Soil Reuse at Aggregate Industries, Saugus, Massachusetts Orient Heights Station Material Stockpile, Boston, Mass.' This is the location where all the excavated railroad material is stored and supposed to be trucked to New Jersey to be decontaminated. In short, this report states: “On June 9, 2020, Jordan Herbert of Mabbett mobilized to the Orient Heights Station to characterize the southern portion of the stockpile (excavated railroad material). The northern portion of the stockpile had been characterized on May 29, 2020 and determined 'not to be suitable for reuse” at the aggregate industries Saugus facility,'" wrote Casey.
Casey's memo states, "Lastly and most concerning, according to the Mabbert Report 'The Site from which the material originated has been used for heavy-rail passenger service since the 1950s.' Which means seventy (70) years of constant railroad traffic and according to the report '90 percent of the material originated from the trackbed inside of the Blue Line Tunnel between Porter and Maverick Streets and an estimated 10 percent of the material originated from the trackbed outside of the tunnel adjacent to the East Boston Expressway'...that leads to the possibility that rainwater never had access to the tunneled portion of the railway and was unable to clean or filter out impurities."
The memo concludes, "Due to the above-mentioned information, I felt it imperative to come into work on Saturday to send you my findings. I realize that this is a lot of information, but my concern is the underprivileged area where these deposits are being made, the schools in the area, unsuspecting motorists, detail Troopers and Providence Officers and the eventual run-off from this material into our drinking water. We have all the documentation down here at the Barracks, along with computer checks conducted by Corporal Doyle.
Respectfully Submitted, Lieutenant Michael D. Casey #136 Rhode Island State Police, Hope Valley Barracks- Patrol Commander"
The State Police refused to comment on the memo.
Two RI Landfills Refused to Accept Contaminated Soil from RIDOT 6/10 Site, Documents Show
Documents released to GoLocal in response to an Access to Public Records request unveil that two landfills in Rhode Island refused to accept the contaminated soil improperly dumped in an Olneyville neighborhood.
GoLocal has been blocked by state attorneys from other requested public documents, claiming, in part, attorney-client privilege.
The emails and documents secured by GoLocal weeks after requesting them show that Rhode Island Resource Recovery, the agency overseeing the Central Landfill in Johnston, refused to accept the contaminated soil after initially agreeing to take the waste.
"Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) must retract the approval dated September 23, 2020 for the material disposal request dated September 22, 2020, submitted by Mr. Patrick Haskell of AECOM. This request was for approximately 2,500 tons of currently stockpiled material at the US 6 / RI Route 10 Interchange site on the Plainfield Avenue in Providence, RI, which consists of a mixture of soils generated from various locations of the US 6 / RI Route 10 Interchange Project and stone material originated in Massachusetts," wrote Samantha Putlak of Resource Recovery on November 9 to RIDOT officials.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
EXCLUSIVE: Materials From RIDOT 6/10 Project Site Trucked to MA for Use at Contractor Family’s Home
GoLocal has tracked the transportation of concrete retaining wall blocks from the 6/10 construction site in Providence to the home of the daughter of Barletta Engineering’s supervisor in Weymouth, MA for the family's private use.
The contract to Barletta and its partners was awarded by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation -- and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Twice this week, massive concrete retaining blocks were loaded onto a trailer in Providence and then trucked to the home of Barletta’s Dennis Ferreira’s daughter’s home in Weymouth. Identical types of blocks are being installed at the taxpayer supported 6/10 project.
Ferreira is the project supervisor who oversees the day-to-day operation of the construction project that each day is working on multiple sites across acres and acres in Providence neighborhoods and involves hundreds of workers.
According to Weymouth town records, the home at 485 East Street is co-owned by Ferreira's daughter Laken and her husband Brendan O’Brien and they purchased the property in 2019 for $488,000 — the home is now valued for as much as $540,000.
The concrete blocks are being used in a new retaining wall being installed on the privately owned Weymouth property.
Ferreira reached by phone told GoLocal, "I have no comment."
GoLocal tried to reach Ferreira's daughter -- the homeowner of the house in Weymouth -- and she did not respond to questions.
It is unclear why RIDOT inspectors did not detect the removal of the material.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
State Blocks Release of Documents on Contaminated Soil at RIDOT’s 6/10 Project
A GoLocal request for copies of the communications between the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) regarding the removal of contaminated soil a the 6/10 RI DOT project is being blocked by state attorneys.
GoLocal unveiled in September that contaminated material was dumped in an Olneyville neighborhood adjacent to homes and businesses and that material was spread throughout neighborhoods as part of the project -- a project that is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
For months RIDOT, Director Peter Alviti denied the material was contaminated and has refused to answer repeated questions.
GoLocal's investigation has now sparked both federal and state investigations. The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas and has empaneled a grand jury and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha has an ongoing investigation. And, State court has issued at least one search warrant tied to the investigation at another RIDOT project
Now, three weeks after GoLocal requested the public documents, RIDEM is claiming that among other things that, "Requested records are exempt from disclosure pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §38-2-2(4)(A)(I)(a) as privileged Attorney/Client communication.”
“The assertion of this exemption of attorney/client communication is absurd. We are asking for the communications between two state agencies about removing contaminated soil,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and co-founder of GoLocal. "One of the agencies is supposed to be regulating the other."
“We will ask the court to intervene,” said Fenton.
After months of the contaminated soil being dumped in the Olneyville neighborhood, it was removed and taken to a Massachusetts landfill that accepts contaminated material. Neither RIDOT nor RIDEM notified the neighbors, the public, nor the press of the removal. GoLocal tracked the trucks from Providence to the landfill in Clinton, MA.
Contaminated Material at RIDOT 6/10 Construction Site in Providence Moved — See Where
Contaminated material at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) 6/10 construction site at Plainfield Street in Providence was transported out of state on Monday.
The transportation of the material marks the latest in the investigation into just how contaminated material was dumped in a Providence neighborhood and spread throughout one of the state’s largest and most expensive public works developments — the 6/10 project.
GoLocal followed trucks removing the soil from the Olneyville neighborhood to a landfill in Clinton, Massachusetts -- a landfill that is under a closure order.
Virginia Carmona and her family live adjacent to the contaminated material and she tells GoLocal that she hopes they remove the material quickly as the pile is now is emitting odors.
"The pile smells since they started to move it," said Carmona. The family and other neighbors have complained about the material for months. The soil has tested postive for contaminants above legal levels.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
Investigation of 6/10 Contamination Linked to RIDOT Contractor Barletta Expands to Second Site
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) investigators with a court-ordered search warrant were on site at the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train Station property — a Rhode Island Department of Transportation project site.
It is all part of answering the question of how contaminated material got dumped in a Providence neighborhood and spread throughout one of the state’s largest most expensive public works developments — the 6/10 project.
RI DEM told GoLocal in an email, "Further soil sampling at the Pawtucket train station project is being conducted today as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. For further information, please contact the Attorney General’s office."
"While we cannot comment on the substance of the investigation, we can confirm that DEM is executing a state court-authorized search warrant at the site," said the Rhode Island Attorney General's office. READ MORE HERE
New Documents Show RIDOT Tried to Cover Up 6/10 Contamination, Delayed Cleanup for Months
Documents secured by GoLocalProv.com show that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) knew that contractor Barletta Engineering and Heavy Material dumped soil in Providence improperly as part of the 6/10 construction project -- a month before GoLocal's first report about possible contamination on the site.
Furthermore, the documents undermine RIDOT and Director Peter Alviti's statements at the time, which served to mislead the public.
Even after GoLocal unveiled the allegations of contamination, Alviti took to talk radio and attested the material piled next to homes by the construction site was clean.
Communications show that RIDOT knew that material had been improperly moved to the Providence neighborhood, according to documents secured by GoLocal, and RIDOT had in fact instructed Barletta to remove the soil material more than five weeks earlier.
GoLocal has secured hundreds of pages of documents, reports and emails from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) through an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) request.
RIDEM has refused to answer questions about the documents citing that there is an ongoing investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Rhode Island has issued subpoenas relating to the contamination at the 6/10 project.
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
After 43 Days RIDOT Has Not Released 6/10 Contamination Docs, MA Released Over 1,100 in 14 Days
After 43 days, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is again delaying the release of public documents relating to the contamination at the 6/10 project — a project being managed in part by Massachusetts-based Barletta Engineering and Heavy Machine.
Barletta has in the past three years secured three major contracts from RIDOT totaling $349 million.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Barletta Attended Raimondo & Mattiello Hosted Fundraiser - MA Company Has Won $349M RIDOT Contracts
More questions are emerging about the timing of Vincent Barletta’s Massachusetts company winning three of Rhode Island’s biggest construction contracts from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
In December 2017, Vincent Barletta attended a Rhode Island Democratic party fundraiser co-hosted by Governor Gina Raimondo and Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello. The event was organized by political consultant Jeff Britt.
Britt was recently on trial on felony and misdemeanor charges relating to a 2016 Mattiello campaign mailer. The case is now before Judge Daniel Procaccini.
According to three people who attended the event, Barletta attended the fundraiser with his wife. Each said the couple was hard to miss. Vincent Barletta is somewhere around 6’6” and his wife was repeatedly described to GoLocal as “striking.”
Barletta's company - Barletta Engineering and Heavy Machine - is tied to contaminated soil according to the RIDOT. The contaminated soil has had an adverse impact on abutting neighbors including the Carmona family who lives adjacent to where the contaminated soil has been piled. Presently, there areon going both state and federal investigations.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Coalition of 15 Groups Call for “Immediate Halt” of 6/10 Construction Over Concerns of Contamination
A new coalition of 15 groups in Providence called the “Fix the 6/10 Coalition” issued a statement Friday on the contamination at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation project site -- and are calling for the project to be closed until a full environmental assessment can be conducted.
“We the Fix the 6/10 Coalition call on the Governor and RIDOT to immediately halt construction to assess the public health impacts of this hazardous material on our communities. We ask that our leaders prioritize the health and safety of our residents, above all else, in this and future highway projects,” said the 6/10 Coalition.
Neither Governor Gina Raimondo nor RIDOT Director Peter Alviti responded to requests for comment.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Justice Dept. Issues Subpoenas Relating to Contamination at RIDOT’s 6/10 Project
GoLocal has learned that the U.S. Attorney’s office in Rhode Island has issued subpoenas relating to the contamination at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s 6/10 project.
The U.S. Attorney in Providence issued subpoenas in the past two weeks for materials and witnesses to present before a Federal grand jury.
In early September GoLocal unveiled that one of Rhode Island’s top union officials had repeatedly raised concerns with the lead contractor on the project and with both the Departments of Transportation and Environmental Management regarding contaminated soil being shipped into Providence and dumped.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
RI Once Had a Group of Elite Investigators to Combat Environmental Crimes - Now, Just One Detective
As details of contaminated materials being dumped on the 6/10 construction project are emerging, it is clear that the State of Rhode Island's environmental investigative resources are just a fraction of what they used to be.
GoLocal reported this week that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management was onsite at a location on Plainfield Street taking more samples from the contaminated pile. State officials have already determined that tons of materials were brought to the location from sites in Massachusetts and a contaminated site in Pawtucket — the site being developed for the new train station.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
DEM Hazardous Investigation Team Deployed to 6/10 Project, Testing for More Contamination
On Tuesday morning, a swarm of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management hazardous waste investigators and enforcement officers were deployed to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s site where hazardous waste has been discovered.
About a dozen investigators and Enforcement officers of DEM were onsite, with a backhoe and investigative trailer on location.
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RIDOT Piled Contaminated Soil Next to Their Home, Tried to Get Family to Sign Release for $12,600
The Carmona family has lived on a one-block street for 20 years in Providence. They immigrated from Venezuela, raised two children, and their oldest of the four grandchildren just graduated from the University of Rhode Island. Their daughter was pregnant. Life was good -- it was the American dream.
Then, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the contractor Barletta Engineering/Heavy Machine for the $410 million 6/10 project selected a piece of state land next to their home as a staging area for hundreds of tons of soil — soil that RIDOT admits now is contaminated.
Of the total project cost, Barletta and its partners in the 6-10 Constructors Joint Venture's portion of the project is $247 million, which the company claims was the low bid by “more than 80 million dollars.”
RIDOT presented the Carmonas with a legal document, a sweeping release from liability for the state and its consultants and agents -- forever. The Carmonas say a top RIDOT official repeatedly pressured them to sign it.
For more than a year, the family's backyard, car, and grill all have been blanketed with the soil. Soil from the contaminated pile is coming through the fence into their backyard. Everything is covered.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Teamsters Quit RI Building Trades Council Over Dispute Regarding Barletta, Contractor on 6/10
The Teamsters Local 251 have quit the powerful RI Building Trades Council headed by Michael Sabitoni -- a close political ally of Governor Gina Raimondo.
Sabitoni, who also serves as the Business Manager RI Laborers’ Local 271, has been one of Raimondo's biggest fundraisers and political supporters.
According to a letter from the Teamsters Matt Taibi to Sabitoni and Greg Mancini, the dispute is tied to the Laborers' relationship with Barletta Engineering, the Canton-Massachusetts contractor that is one of the principal firms on the $410 million 6/10 construction project. Barletta was selected by Raimondo's RI Department of Transportation just months after Tim Barletta made thousands of dollars in donations to RI Democratic political funds.
Of the total project cost, Barletta and its partners in the 6-10 Constructors Joint Venture's portion of the project is $247 million. The project was awarded to 6-10 Constructors Joint Venture after it was, the Barletta entities claim, the low bid by “more than 80 million dollars.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
6/10 Investigation: RIDOT Fails to Notify Neighbors of Contaminants - Children Live Just Feet Away
Virginia Carmona, one of the homeowners directly abutting the pile of the contaminated materials, was made aware of the issue by GoLocal.
Carmona said no one from the state had told them about the contamination.
On Friday, GoLocal informed her of the contamination and the order to remove the contaminants — some which are just a few feet from her backyard stone fire pit and patio.
Her home on Pilsudski Street is just one of those directly adjacent. The pile of material stacks up to her home’s second-story window.
Carmona said that there are two children living in her home and two children living in the next-door home.
Providence City Council President Sabina Matos, who represents the area, tells GoLocal that state officials have yet to notify her.
How far the contaminated soil can be blown to other sections of the neighborhood is unknown — the concern must be growing because GoLocal, on one site visit to the contaminated area, saw a rusted Barletta Engineering water truck spraying water on some of the material on site.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Federal Investigators Now Probing Contamination at $410 Million 6/10 Project
GoLocal has learned that agents from at least two federal agencies have been in Rhode Island investigating the now-confirmed contaminated soil at the 6/10 redevelopment project.
GoLocal first unveiled the dumping of contaminated soil 10 days ago.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
NEW: RIDOT Announces Removal of Contaminated Soil at 6/10 Project After GoLocal Investigation
After a GoLocal investigative series unveiled allegations of contaminated soil at a $410 million state construction project, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) on Tuesday announced that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) reviewed a second set of samples from a soil pile at RIDOT’s 6-10 Interchange construction project and ordered the contaminated material to be removed and the site to be remediated.
The samples, taken by RIDOT’s consultant with oversight by DEM site remediation program managers on Saturday, showed levels of some contaminants above regulatory thresholds. As a result, DEM and RIDOT agreed that the soil should be removed.
Of the total project cost, Barletta and its partners in the 6-10 Constructors Joint Venture's portion of the project is $247 million, which the company claims was the low bid by “more than 80 million dollars.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Questions Emerging About Investigation of Alleged Contamination at 6/10 Project
Delays in interviewing the whistleblower, refusal to allow independent testing, and moving and mixing the alleged contaminated material are raising concerns about the investigation into the alleged illegal dumping of contaminated material into one Providence neighborhood -- low income and predominately Latino.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
RIDOT Refuses to Allow Access to 6/10 Site for Independent Soil Samples
Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) officials are refusing to allow access to an environmental testing firm engaged by GoLocalProv.com to take soil samples at the 6/10 Connector construction sites.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Council President Matos Calls on DOT and DEM to Address “Preventable Danger” at 6/10 Project
Providence City Council President Sabina Matos issued a statement on Wednesday after a GoLocal report unveiled allegations by a top union official of contaminated soil being dumped in Olneyville—part of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation's 6/10 construction project—which has a cost of $410 million.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
RI State Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Contamination at 6/10 Project
GoLocal has confirmed that the Rhode Island State Police have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that the contractor Massachusetts-based Barletta Engineering/Heavy Division transported allegedly contaminated soil onto the 6/10 project site.
RI State and Providence Police Pull Details Off 6/10 Connector Worksite Over Contamination Concerns
GoLocal has learned that on Monday both the Rhode Island State Police Troopers Association and Providence Police FOP have canceled all details working the 6/10 Interchange construction site over concerns regarding contaminated soil.
Rhode Island State Police Troopers Association President J.R. Brown notified members of the decision on Monday not to work the site due to concerns raised by James White, President of Local 57 of the International Union of Operating Engineers and test results conducted by White’s union.
EXCLUSIVE: Union Official Says RIDOT Allows Contractor to Illegally Dump Contaminates at 6/10 Site
One of Rhode Island’s top union officials is blowing the whistle -- and says he has proof that one of the construction firms working on two of Rhode Island’s largest infrastructure projects is improperly disposing of contaminated materials.
The construction firm at the center of the allegations is the Massachusetts-based Barletta Engineering/Heavy Division. which is one of the lead firms on the $410 million 6/10 Reconstruction project. The companies hired by RIDOT for the 6/10 project are called the "6/10 CONSTRUCTORS JOINT VENTURE." That joint venture has been paid in the past three-plus fiscal years $130,649,808, according to Rhode Island state records.
Of the total project cost, Barletta and its partners in the 6-10 Constructors Joint Venture's portion of the project is $247 million. The project was awarded to 6-10 Constructors Joint Venture after it was, the Barletta entities claim, the low bid by “more than 80 million dollars.”
Barletta is also the lead contractor on the Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station and Bus Hub -- a separate $47 million project.
James White, President of Local 57 of the International Union of Operating Engineers says, “I first brought concerns to Barletta in July and they did nothing. Our folks are trained in identifying hazardous materials and we had concerns about the soil materials they were bringing on to the site.”
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