Keeping It Together—Emergency Response Collaboration in the Face of Failing Infrastructure

On November 9, 2022, over 145 years after the first brick was laid 65 ft below the Earth's surface, the Tiffany Run 108-in. storm drain was seeing the light of day. This was a result of a collapse in the top section, creating a large cavern in the deteriorated rock subsurface layer and extending up to the surface. The location of this collapse created a unique challenge as this area was also home to a critical 84″ watermain leaving the Montebello Water Treatment Plant, along with a 36″ discharge drain that is critical to the plant operations. The City of Baltimore, Garney Construction and Whitman, Requardt & Associates ("WRA"), led a collaborative effort to design and install both a water bypass to continue the flow of potable drinking water as well as repair the damaged 108″ brick tunnel. The collaborative nature of this project allowed for the team to move quickly to resolve continuously changing site conditions and expedite the delivery of the critical project to get these critical utilities back in service.