Federal Funding Funneled To Ellicott City's North Tunnel Project

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — The city has received federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to finance the North Tunnel and other flood mitigation projects as part of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan. The exact amount of funding will be determined through the application process, which must be submitted within a year.

“Our commitment to keeping Ellicott City safe and sound has not wavered and this funding for the North Tunnel and our other projects paves the way for us to continue our significant flood mitigation efforts for our historic town,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement.

The county could be approved by the EPA to borrow up to 49 percent of the cost of the Safe and Sound plan through the WIFIA loan program. The remaining 51 percent of the costs would be funded by a combination of county and other sources. Preliminary engineering is being finalized for the North Tunnel and a final design should surface in the next several months, according to county officials.

The WIFIA loan program offers lower interest rates and longer borrowing terms than county general obligation bonds permit. The tunnel and other flood reduction measures require multi-year construction and the WIFIA loan program allows for deferral of repayment until construction is complete, the county noted.

“To be considered for federal WIFIA funding is exactly what we have worked toward the past two years,” Maryland Delegate Courtney Watson said in a statement. “This will be a game changer for the long-term safety of historic Ellicott City.”