TAMPA, Fla. — The City of Tampa plans to make improvements to an aging pumping station on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.
The pumping station has undergone numerous improvements since it was originally put into service in 1955. It has reached the end of its design life and needs to be replaced.
New pumps will be added to provide redundancy.
"Currently, there’s only two pumps in there. It’s kind of an old standard," Director for the City of Tampa Wastewater Department Eric Weiss said. "Now, we’re putting four pumps in there and the other ones are just backup to the backup to help being resilient so there wouldn’t be an overflow."
The electrical infrastructure will also be upgraded to provide protection from flooding. The city plans to improve safety by reducing a sight obstruction at Bayshore Blvd. and Mason-Stovall Street.
A set of hedges makes it harder for residents and bicyclists to see oncoming traffic.
"The obstruction is very dangerous if you’re trying to come up Stovall and make a left onto Bayshore heading north," resident Dee Dee Poole said. "It’s very hard to see oncoming traffic."
City leaders have presented preliminary plans before the city council. They are working to finalize plans. Construction is expected to start in late 2023. The project should be completed by 2024.
The project is funded by PIPES, a funding plan for large-scale sewer and water infrastructure improvements within the city. PIPES establishes a schedule of gradual rate increases for water and wastewater services over a 20-year period.
The replacement of the pumping station is expected to cost $12.4 million.
