Project Information

Background

As part of the City of Tampa’s Stormwater Improvement Program, the Lower Peninsula Stormwater Improvements Regional System Design-Build project is a much-needed capital improvements project aimed at alleviating flooding within the City’s stormwater improvement area.

The project consists of design and construction of a major stormwater conveyance system that includes more than 8,000 linear feet of box culvert, pipes, and drainage inlets. An aesthetically pleasing pond will be developed to provide water quality treatment prior to stormwater being discharged through a new outfall to Hillsborough Bay. State-of-the-art green infrastructure solutions will also be incorporated to reduce the discharge of nutrients, oils and greases, and floating debris into Hillsborough Bay.

The project will also include improvements to the City’s 48-acre
environmental property acquisition, known as MacDill 48 Park, located off MacDill Avenue just south of Interbay Boulevard. The property was originally purchased in 2002 through the Environmental Lands Acquisition Protection Program (ELAPP) administered by Hillsborough County to protect and preserve the property. Subsequently, the City took ownership and control of the property and with this project will now enhance the diverse environmental habitat it contains, provide for passive park activities, reduce the hazard of brush fires, and provide for water quality treatment of stormwater runoff.

The aesthetically pleasing pond will be strategically placed in the central lower lands within the MacDill 48 Park property to enhance habitat diversity and provide needed water quality improvements. The City is taking extreme care in its enhancements of the property and is working with environmental specialists, the Florida Communities Trust (FCT), Hillsborough County’s ELAPP General Committee and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) to ensure the design preserves the Park’s diverse habitat and saves as many trees as possible.

The use of MacDill 48 Park will allow the City to maximize flooding relief and enhance water quality within the Lower Peninsula Southeast Watershed. It will also fulfill a required element of the City’s agreement with FCT to rehydrate the wetlands, restore onsite habitat and provide a high-level of water quality treatment to improve the quality of the stormwater entering Hillsborough Bay.

The map of the MacDill 48 site shows the preliminary design concept of the regional pond layout, pending final data collection, regulatory agency requirements and public input.

Our team will work closely with ELAPP, the Florida Conservatory Trust (FCT), the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department, and environmental specialists to ensure the design saves as many trees as possible.

Project Schedule/Activities

Beginning in November 2024 and continuing through early 2025, the contractor will be performing construction activities on S. Himes Avenue from the Chiaramonte Elementary School parking lot (located between W. Wyoming Avenue and W. Oklahoma Avenue) northward to W. Paxton Avenue. To accommodate this activity, S. Himes Avenue will be closed within the construction area, with detours in place to direct travelers.  

As work progresses northward, driveways and intersections within the active construction zone will be inaccessible for a period of approximately 4 to 6 weeks, with detours in place to direct drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians around construction areas. Construction will take place Monday through Friday, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with occasional Saturday work to occur as needed. The sidewalk on S. Himes Avenue from Chiaramonte Elementary School southward will remain accessible.

SCHOOL ACCESS: Motorists transporting students to/from Chiaramonte Elementary School will be required to use the one-way temporary drop-off/pick-up zone in the parking lot on the north side of the school, entering the west side of the parking lot from S. Sterling Avenue, traveling eastward to the covered walkway for student drop-off/pick-up, and exiting the parking lot at S. Himes Avenue.   

(Construction activities and timelines are subject to change based upon weather and other unforeseen circumstances.)  