2025 Texas & Southeast Best Projects
Best Water/Environment: Tampa Pipes - Comprehensive Infrastructure for Tampa's Neighborhoods Design Build
Tampa Pipes – Comprehensive Infrastructure for Tampa’s Neighborhoods Design Build
Tampa
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.
Owner City of Tampa, Fla.
Lead Design Firm Hazen and Sawyer
Design-Builder Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.
Civil Engineer Pennoni; McKim & Creed; Land & Water Engineering Science; Kisinger Campo & Associates
The Progressive Infrastructure Planning to Ensure Sustainability project—or PIPES—is an initiative led by the city of Tampa to address its aging underground infrastructure. As part of Tampa’s 20-year, $2.9-billion capital improvement program—the largest in the city’s history—the project targets critical upgrades in four neighborhoods.
The project addressed service lines that are more than 80 years old, restores service access and reduces maintenance costs and risks of failure. Improvements were targeted based on infrastructure material, age, location as well as where emergency break repairs have occurred.
Through a progressive design-build approach, the project integrates extensive water main replacement, sanitary sewer rehabilitation and stormwater system improvements. More than 24 miles of sanitary sewer and 18 miles of water main are being rehabilitated, replaced or upsized —largely through trenchless technologies that minimize disruption to residents and street traffic.
During the project development phase, Kiewit collaborated with five city of Tampa departments—water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater and public outreach—to define scope, develop the basis of design report and refine project pricing. Each department had distinct priorities, but through targeted one-on-one meetings, the team achieved full alignment.
Photo courtesy Kiewit
Crews worked in dense residential areas where limited access, existing utilities and private property features restricted construction. The team mitigated potential issues by planning work with minimal disruption, restoring all affected features and using trenchless methods—such as pipe bursting and cured-in-place lining—for over 90% of replacements. Trenchless construction methods allowed new pipes to be installed within existing alignments with minimal excavation, significantly reducing noise, dust and traffic interruptions for residents. The approach not only preserved neighborhood aesthetics and mature trees but also shortened construction timelines and minimized restoration costs.
Work was also conducted under active CSX railroad tracks. Through extensive preconstruction coordination, the team successfully completed seven jack-and-bore installations while maintaining uninterrupted rail operations. In areas where jack-and-bore was not feasible due to utility conflicts, Kiewit proposed and executed Tampa’s first installation of CompressionFit HDPE Pipe Lining. The solution was approved by the city and could inform future infrastructure upgrades.
Photo courtesy Kiewit
To further streamline delivery, the project implemented a refined utility conflict mitigation protocol, enhancing the standard 6-ft utility locating window to a 3-ft zone. The increased precision enabled field teams to proactively adjust alignments, eliminating most major utility relocations and associated schedule risks.
Minimizing disruptions to the residents of the neighborhoods was critical. Extensive public outreach and coordination with residents, utilities, railroads and permitting agencies ensured transparency and efficiency throughout delivery.
Despite the project’s complexity, all construction packages were delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.
