ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County’s Department of Public Works’ (DPW) Bureau of Environmental Services will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, July 6th to share the design of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan’s Extended North Tunnel project. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will take place in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building, located at 3430 Court House Drive in Ellicott City.
Recently, I announced the closing of a $75 million low interest federal loan to construct the Extended North Tunnel, the largest and most impactful flood mitigation component of our Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan. Once complete, this pivotal project will carry 26,000 gallons of stormwater per second, away from streets and foundations in Old Ellicott City and the West End and directly into the Patapsco River, protecting life, property, businesses and homes. The Extended North Tunnel is one of seven flood mitigation projects, including the Quaker Mill and H7 Ponds which are currently under construction and expected to be completed next year.
Currently near 65 percent completion, the project design features an approximately 5,800-foot-long, 18-foot-diameter tunnel spanning from the north side of Frederick Road, approximately 500 feet east of Papillon Drive, to the Patapsco River shoreline north of Lot B. The project will also include surface work at Lot F and near the intersection of Rogers Avenue and Main Street. Weather permitting and pending final regulatory approvals, the project is expected to begin in late 2022.
This meeting will include an overview of the Extended North Tunnel project’s design, followed by an open discussion. County staff and the project’s design consultant, McMillen Jacobs Associates, will be on hand to answer any questions.
Those unable to attend this meeting may view the presentation afterward on the County’s Ellicott City Safe and Sound website. This meeting will focus specifically on the Extended North Tunnel project; however, for additional questions regarding the project or the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan, call 410-313-4200 or email ecsafeandsound@howardcountymd.gov.
An interpreter for people who are deaf or hard of hearing will be available if requested seven working days prior to the meeting. Please call DPW at 410-313-3440 (voice) or use Relay at 7-1-1, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For questions or more information about Capital Project C-0337, contact Lisa Brightwell, Public Works Customer Service, at 410-313-3440 or email publicworks@howardcountymd.gov.