As an example of the community cost just one road project has resulted in a blow out of $70m due to uncovered asbestos during civil works which is nudging nearly a fifth of the total project budget.
It seems the government as a consequence is in a difficult position and they are seemingly sending out mixed messages on the best way to resolve the hazard.
The two main options is to encapsulate and bury the asbestos where it is or remove it to an approved waste facility, the more expensive option.
In August 2018 a former Minister told residents near a school that the EPA preferred the asbestos stay on-site in a contained manner rather than being transported but in fact, it later appeared conflicting internal instructions to the contrary were also present.
The Herald has obtained internal RMS documents detailing the increasing recognition of the size of the asbestos issue.
In one summary of a meeting held last month, the blow-out attributed to asbestos found on the M4 Smart Motorway is identified, among other factors, as helping to push the cost of the project to $594 million.
At the meeting, roads bureaucrats propose to “borrow” extra funding from other projects within the Easing Sydney’s Congestion program, including initiatives to treat pinch points around the Sutherland Shire and Parramatta.
The note says off-site disposal “is the most readily available option to consider and is the EPA’s preferred method of managing Asbestos Containing Material, costing approximately $350/t for transportation and disposal at a licensed facility”.
On-site “encapsulation” involves burying asbestos “within the road corridor under the road pavement,” and generally requires planning approval, in consultation with the EPA.
As well as the cost of removing asbestos on the M4 Smart Motorway program, asbestos found on road widening works along the Northern Road in western Sydney have also added more than $30 million to those projects. Approx 10,000 cubic metres of “asbestos containing material” is being held in quarantined stockpiles.
The briefing tallies $110 million of asbestos disposal costs required on road projects, not including WestConnex or the planned M12. It is understood that figure has since risen above $130 million.
A RMS spokesman said costs associated with dealing with asbestos are factored into projects, but, “on some occasions adjustments do need to be made to ensure the material is dealt with safely”.
“Prior to starting all road projects, the agency carries out extensive environmental investigations, including geotechnical ground sampling. Despite this work, determining the scale and scope of hidden asbestos is difficult,” the spokesman said.
The Herald asked a spokeswoman for the EPA if the agency had a general preference for on-site treatment or delivery to a waste facility. The spokewoman said: “the appropriate management is determined on individual project circumstances”.
The October briefing note says that after the proposal to encapsulate asbestos near the Orchard Roads school received media attention, RMS disposed of the material at a licensed facility.
RMS and “EPA are currently in discussions and developing appropriate messaging and communication materials about Asbestos Containing Material management on road construction projects.”