EBA Engineering, Inc. (EBA) was recognized with an Honor Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies/Maryland (ACEC/MD) 2023 Engineering Excellence Awards competition for the firm’s work on an emergency water main repair project on Howard Street in Baltimore. EBA’s Rizwan Siddiqi, Khalid Qadwai, Imran Pathan, Jordan Varholy, and Megan Disney accepted the award at a banquet held at Baltimore’s historic Garrett-Jacobs Mansion on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

“We’re honored that our project team is being recognized again for their dedication and ingenuity on this project,” said EBA President and CEO Rizwan Siddiqi, PE. “The team was committed to finding an innovative, sustainable solution that would resolve the issue quickly while protecting residents and infrastructure.”

ACEC’s annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value.

When the City of Baltimore requested help with a water leak on Howard Street, EBA responded immediately. A primary concern was the leak’s proximity to critical transportation infrastructure, including Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) Light RailLink tracks and a CSX Transportation tunnel that runs underneath the street.

The leak had created a large sinkhole and compromised the rail tunnel under the roadway and the light rail tracks above ground. A team of EBA engineers worked around the clock to identify the leak source and then design and oversee repairs despite many site constraints and limitations.

EBA collaborated with City staff, the contractor, and multiple stakeholders to identify solutions, resolve conflicts, and complete the repairs quickly and safely with minimal disruptions to daily activities on the high-traffic roadway.

EBA’s efforts helped the City restore water service as rapidly as possible for affected customers, while avoiding a potentially catastrophic CSX tunnel failure and other consequences.