ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today opened a public survey requesting community input in naming the Tunnel Boring Machine that will be used for the upcoming Ellicott City North Tunnel Project. Soon to be the largest capital project in Howard County history, the North Tunnel is a pivotal flood mitigation project of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan. Residents can vote online for one of six potential names for the Tunnel Boring Machine here.
“The North Tunnel is a transformative project that will serve as a model for flood mitigation across our nation and world. As we prepare to break ground on this once in a generation project this summer, I invite our residents to help name the Tunnel Boring Machine that will be used to construct the North Tunnel,” said Ball.
Tunnel Boring Machines are traditionally given names before projects commence. Name options from this public survey include Ellicott Drills, Ellicott Excavator, Granite, Granite Grinder, Hudson, and Rocky. The top selected option will be used to name the Tunnel Boring Machine.
This summer, Ball will join local and state officials to break ground on the highly anticipated North Tunnel project. The North Tunnel is a water conveyance project that will have the capacity to move 26,000 gallons of water per second once complete. The underground tunnel will be 18-feet in diameter and run from the West End area of Ellicott City, all the way to the Patapsco River. The project will reduce the risk of flash flooding by intercepting water and diverting it underground and away from Main Street. Howard County will work with a construction management team to build a Tunnel Boring Machine. Using a series of electric motors, a rotating cutter head will grind through an entire mile of granite to create the tunnel.
To share your naming preference for the Tunnel Boring Machine, please visit: https://communityfeedback.
The public survey will close at midnight on April 15, 2024.
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