Schwartz Discusses Baltimore Road Collapse in FOX45 Report

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Chair Chuck Schwartz sat down with WBFF FOX45 reporter Joy Lepola to review documents of complaints filed by Baltimore residents in the lead-up to the 26^th Street road collapse this past April.

According to Lepola’s report, several hundred pages of complaints were filed over the span of four years, revealing that the conditions had worsened in the neighborhood.

“The city did do a closed circuit TV inspection of the water main and sewer line and reported they found no structural defects," Schwartz said in the report. "I haven't seen the reports – no structural defects may mean simply the pipes didn't collapse, but they could be leaking.”

Schwartz also noted that water likely contributed to the erosion and eventual collapse of the retaining wall.

Lepola noted: “A four-page report shows Baltimore City had added 26th Street to a list of capital improvement projects for next year at a cost of $350,000. Now, a major landslide later, it'll cost the city and CSX about $15 million combined to rebuild.”

Lepola’s full report is available online.

Published August 20, 2014