Ellicott City Sinkhole: Road Repairs Could Take Days

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — A water main break formed a sinkhole Wednesday morning in Ellicott City, closing a portion of Main Street. The historic downtown gained national attention last summer when a deadly flood sent water and vehicles rushing down the thoroughfare.

Road repairs around the Main Street sinkhole will be complete by Saturday morning, officials say.

Authorities were notified at 3:21 a.m. Wednesday that there was a water main break in the 8600 block of Main Street. They found gushing water had created a sinkhole under a vehicle in Ellicott City. Police said the vehicle was unoccupied; nobody was injured.

The sinkhole formed less than a year after a flood in downtown Ellicott City killed two and caused millions of dollars in damage.

On July 30, 2016, floodwaters ravaged Main Street and sent vehicles into the nearby Patapsco River.

Since then, federal and local officials have been rebuilding the downtown, which was founded in 1772, and are studying ways to prevent future damage.

• Ellicott City Flood: Rescuers Search Buildings, Two Dead
• 6 Months After Flood, Ellicott City Building Stronger Foundation
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Study Ellicott City Flooding

To fix the water main that broke on Wednesday, utility workers shut off utilities in the vicinity. The main was repaired by 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Howard County officials reported.

Because the integrity of Main Street had been eroded, authorities said road repair crews needed more time.

Road repairs will likely be completed by Friday night or Saturday morning, officials advised.

Drivers should avoid the area of Main Street between Rogers Avenue and Ellicott Mills Drive in the meantime.

Because of the sinkhole, Main Street is closed between Rogers Avenue and Klein Avenue (aka Belfont Drive).

Before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, water was shut off for the following addresses and was projected to be restored by the end-of-day Wednesday: 3561-3695 Rogers Avenue, 3601-3637 Rusty Rim, 3621-3645 Dry Creek Court, 3701-3866 Bonnybridge Place and 8572-8799 Frederick Road.

Photo courtesy of Howard County government.