Twenty-five years ago, the inadvertent puncture of a century-old abandoned freight tunnel triggered 124 million gallons of Chicago River water to flood underground building spaces in the Loop near the Kinzie Street Bridge. R.M. Chin & Associates, Inc. (R.M. Chin) Founder Raymond (Ray) Chin served as Project Manager, representing former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley during tunnel repair work. Ray worked closely with the team tasked with implementing the tunnel repairs.
To safely give workers access to make repairs and perform inspections to the freight tunnel system beneath the river, 700-pound steel doors were installed with close to 30 high-strength bulkheads sealing the tunnel at every river exposure point. With a design resembling the fail-safe of a bank vault, these doors would slam shut if a future breach occurred. To learn about this event, the Chicago Tribune recently published this story on the Great Chicago Flood.
“This infamous piece of Chicago history was also a turning point and the catalyst to the growth of our firm. We’ve grown tremendously since 1992, but there’s always something to be learned from history,” said R.M. Chin President Eileen Chin. “We’re grateful for our continued partnership with the City of Chicago.”
About R.M. Chin:
R.M. Chin & Associates, Inc. (R.M. Chin), a M/W/DBE firm, provides expert Owner’s Representation, Project/Program, and Construction Management services for leading public and private entities in the transportation, aviation, and buildings sectors.
