Officials believe a strange smell at the AvalonBay construction site is coming from an epoxy being applied in the site's parking garage.
PRINCETON - A reportedly strange smell coming from the AvalonBay construction site on Witherspoon Avenue over the past few weeks may be caused by workers applying an epoxy at a parking garage on the site, town health officer Jeff Grosser said Wednesday.
The smell started at the site of AvalonBay's 280-unit housing project on Witherspoon Avenue a few weeks ago and since then, the town has been getting periodic calls from people traveling around the area, town engineer Robert Kiser said.
Kiser and Grosser went out to inspect site Wednesday after receiving another complaint and found that the smell on the street was very similar to the smell inside the site's parking garage where workers were applying the epoxy, Grosser said.
He added that he doesn't believe the smell is harmful but that he's reached out to county officials to see if the smell warrants further investigating.
Workers at the site said they planned to finish applying the epoxy in a week. Town officials will continue to monitor the smell.
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The smell comes shortly after AvalonBay resumed construction on the site in early October. Nearly a month earlier, they had to pause construction because the presence of toxic materials was detected at the site.
Workers are in the process of hauling the materials in question away from the site.
Grosser said Wednesday he believes, "with relatively good certainty," that the smell is solely linked to the epoxy being applied in the garage.
He suggested anyone who passes through the area and detects the smell should call the town.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
