Six-month pipeline construction begins on Fishhawk Boulevard, with traffic delays possible

Construction crews were scheduled to begin work Monday, Oct. 19, on a six-month pipeline project along Fishhawk Boulevard, where truck traffic could cause brief delays for drivers.

The work area is on the south side of Fishhawk Boulevard, just east of Fishhawk Ridge Drive. According to an Oct. 16 construction notice from Tampa Bay Water, crews are building a shaft to install a drinking-water pipeline beneath the roadway.

Construction is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Trucks entering and leaving the site may temporarily slow traffic, but no long-term road closures are anticipated.

The work is expected to last approximately six months, weather permitting, putting its estimated completion around April 2027.

Pipeline will serve growing communities

The construction is part of the South Hillsborough Pipeline, a 26-mile drinking-water transmission line Tampa Bay Water is building to meet growing demand across south-central Hillsborough County.

By 2050, Apollo Beach's population is projected to double, while Riverview's population is expected to increase by more than 30%, according to the project overview.

The pipeline, which will measure up to 5 feet in diameter, is designed to carry as much as 65 million additional gallons of water per day from the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant in Brandon.

Water will be delivered to two Hillsborough County connection points: the Lithia Water Treatment Plant and a new water treatment plant planned for the Balm area.

Underground construction aims to limit disruptions

The Fishhawk Boulevard work is one of 17 tunneling locations along the pipeline route.

Approximately 2 miles of the 26-mile project are being built using underground tunneling techniques, allowing crews to install pipes beneath roads, waterways and other obstacles without excavating the entire surface.

According to the project's tunneling overview, microtunneling uses a remote-controlled boring machine to excavate underground while simultaneously installing sections of steel-casing pipe.

Crews construct two vertical shafts: a launch shaft where the machine enters the ground and a reception shaft where it exits.

The technique is intended to minimize disruptions to traffic and environmentally sensitive areas.

Maribel Medina, a Tampa Bay Water communications representative, acknowledged the construction's impact on surrounding communities in a September column published by the Osprey Observer.

"The pipeline design includes 17 tunnel locations to minimize impacts to roadways and waterways," Medina wrote.

She also said the project team shares information about detours and road closures with navigation services, including Waze and Google Maps.