Howard County Secures $75M Loan For 5,000-Foot Tunnel To Divert Floodwater From Ellicott City

Howard County has secured funding to building a 5,000-foot tunnel under Ellicott City, a historic town on the banks of the Patapsco River beset by multiple severe floods, county officials said. Ellicott City, founded in the 18th century as a mill town and the site of the first terminus of the B&O Railroad outside the city, suffered two 1,000-year floods in 2016 and 2018, damaging dozens of businesses and killing three people. Once completed, the tunnel, located about 100 feet underground and measuring 18 feet in diameter, will carry 26,000 gallons of stormwater per second away from the town’s streets and into the Patapsco, said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.