On June 24th Howard County Executive Calvin Ball broke ground on the Ellicott City Safe and Sound project’s North Tunnel storm water conveyance project. It is scheduled to be the largest public works project in Howard County history.
The 18-foot diameter tunnel, once complete, will transfer 26,000 gallons of water per second from the West End area of Ellicott City to the Patapsco River.
The tunnel should significantly reduce the risk of flash flooding by intercepting water and diverting it underground.
The excavation will be predominantly delivering by utilising a tunnel boring machine (TBM) roughly 300 feet long with the ability to dig through solid granite.
The TBM is being managed by a Joint Venture between Kiewit and Traylor Brothers.
Matt Swinton, SVP and district manager of Kiewit said:
“Our Kiewit-Traylor team is proud to partner with Howard County to bring our breadth of resources and tunneling expertise to construct the North Tunnel and realize the vision of the Safe and Sound Program for the Ellicott City community and future generations.”
After a public competition the TBM has been christened ‘Rocky’.
The tunnel excavation is projected to be completed by Autumn 2027.
