Glen Burnie office tower will take longer to stabilize than first thought

The construction work required to stabilize the 10-story Empire Towers building in Glen Burnie will take longer than first anticipated, according to county officials.

Structural engineers have determined the work will have to be completed in phases, Anne Arundel County officials said Thursday. The first phase of construction will take 10-14 days to complete once it begins.

That first phase is vertical shoring between the floor and ceiling on the lowest level of the underground parking garage, in order to better support the structure’s compressive weight.

After that, according to an update from the county, contractors will add supports between the vertical columns underground to support the structure laterally and stabilize the building.

County officials said they can’t provide an estimate for how long the second phase of construction will take until the first phase is complete.

Until then, the building remains closed to the public, and a 150-foot collapse zone around the building is blocked off. Several businesses inside have had to close or adapt, and some cars remain in the underground garage.

The building became structurally unsafe after unpermitted construction work in the underground garage. County officials first learned of the issue on July 9, after someone returning to their car in the garage noticed concrete on the ground.

About 100 people had to be evacuated from the building, but no injuries were reported.

The State Highway Administration has a partial lane closure on southbound Route 2, and the county has a closure at Sixth Avenue, affecting both Crain Highway and southbound Ritchie Highway. Drivers should expect a detour via Eighth Avenue and Route 648.

Businesses that are affected by the closure, and which are unable to have insurance cover their losses, are eligible to apply for a $2,500 grant from the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation.

The building’s owner, Sawhney Commercial LLC, could not immediately be reached for comment.