MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Vermont state officials were regrouping Tuesday morning following a judge's decision to stop construction on the highly controversial Circumferential Highway.

When he handed down the decision late Monday in federal court, Judge William Sessions said a 1986 environmental-impact study the state was using isn't enough.

Sessions, along with environmental groups, said Chittenden County has changed since then, and argued the study didn't give enough proof that the 16-mile Circ would be environmentally sound.

The ruling also affects between 40 and 60 construction workers who have been waiting for the judge's decision.

"We think we've done thorough job on environmental evaluation," said David Scott of the Vermont Agency Of Transportation. "We've done (a) thorough job on public involvement."

State Transportation Secretary Patricia Macdonald said state lawyers are now looking over the decision to see how long it will take to address the judge's concerns.

For now, she said work on the Circ would stop.

"You can't rely today on something that was produced inadequately in 1986," said attorney Ron Shems. "You have to look at alternatives to its placement and alternatives to its impacts."

Currently, the cost of the Circ is estimated at $223 million. That price could rise significantly with delays. For the last week, the state has been paying about $30,000 daily for workers to sit and wait for the judge's decision, state officials said.