The work on improving Main Street in downtown Salisbury has been suspended.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that the area between Route 13 and Poplar Hill Avenue will need a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environments because workers have come across some contaminated soil.
The city will be required to remove and dispose of the soil and ensure that the ground water is property taken care of.
The Daily Times reports that at one time there were four service stations in the area.
Mayor Jake Day told the paper that this was the place that the city expected to come across some contamination problems.
He added similar issues could come up as work crews move along Main Street.