At the April meeting, Tampa Bay Water’s board of directors approved spending $129.2 million to cover 17 tunneling locations, known as trenchless construction, along the South Hillsborough Pipeline’s 26-mile route.
Trenchless crossings are areas where the pipeline will be installed by tunneling under roads and waterways to minimize traffic and environmental impacts. Tunnelling operations will begin as early as October 2025 and take place under Falkenburg Road, State Road 60, Alafia River, Boyette Road, Balm Boyette Road and other locations, shown on the map.
Open cut construction, which involves digging a trench into which the pipe is installed, is scheduled to begin in March 2026. Residents will receive advance notice of construction in their area.
The project team also recently completed the 90% design plans for the pipeline and is now working to finalize the plans, acquire property and obtain permits, so it can finalize the project’s costs and schedule.
When completed in 2028, the South Hillsborough Pipeline will deliver up to 65 million gallons of water per day (mgd) to southern Hillsborough County.
Stay tuned for more information, including public meetings in July, at SouthHillsborouthPipeline.com.
