The South Hillsborough Pipeline construction is set to begin this fall and Tampa Bay Water continues to keep the community updated and informed.
In July, three in-person public meetings were held along the pipeline route. These meetings gave residents a chance to speak one-on-one with the construction team, engineers and Tampa Bay Water staff about road closures that will last more than 30 days and the associated detours. In August, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners approved the road closures that will last more than 30 days.
Work is also ongoing to secure the necessary property and permits, along with continued community outreach. The project requires 29 permits in total—so far, one permit is approved, and nine applications have been submitted, including two major environmental permits. In addition, the engineering team is preparing to submit 10 more permit applications now that pipeline design is nearly complete. Everything is on track with critical path permits before construction begins.
The project also calls for 218 temporary construction or permanent utility easements. The acquisition process for those easements is currently on schedule and within budget.
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall with tunneling work under major roadways and environmental features, such as the Alafia River. Tunneling under major roadways helps mitigate traffic impacts by keeping major roads open.
When construction kicks off, it’ll be a big team effort—more than 130 people will be involved, with up to nine crews working at different locations at the same time.
All combined, the pipeline will involve six tunneling crews, five open cut crews, and additional teams handling preparation and restoration. Special consideration and attention will be given to the communities along the pipeline and to the environment all throughout construction. All of this highlights just how complex and carefully coordinated this project needs to be. Once complete in 2028, the 26-mile pipeline will deliver up to 65 million gallons of drinking water per day to south Hillsborough County.
To sign up for updates on the South Hillsborough Pipeline Project, click here.
