Tampa Bay Water has reached 60% design on the 26-mile South Hillsborough Pipeline that will deliver up to 65 million gallons per day to southern Hillsborough County. To ensure materials are delivered on time and to leverage favorable steel market pricing, Tampa Bay Water’s board of directors at its October meeting approved the first of four guaranteed maximum price (GMP) proposals with Garney Companies. The board approved the $59 million early material procurement proposal, allowing the agency to lock in lower steel pipe and valve pricing, which has dipped only three times since the pandemic. Additionally, Tampa Bay Water, rather than the contractor, intends to directly purchase pipeline materials, thus saving approximately $3 million in sales tax. Overall, this GMP represents savings of approximately $26 million.
The project is progressing toward final design and the overall estimated project cost is changing as the project team works to add trenchless crossings and minimize construction impacts.
Construction is scheduled to begin as early as fall 2025 and will be completed in late 2028.
