SHStormwater

Project Information

Background

As part of the City of Tampa’s Stormwater Improvement Program, the South Howard Flood Relief 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.

The 2022 estimated cost was $64.5 million based on preliminary engineering. The selected alternative segment, market conditions and cost of materials, labor and other factors will affect the total construction cost.

Project Schedule

Current/Upcoming Activities

All survey work for the project’s design phase is complete. Additional surveying may be performed if engineers identify information needed to finalize the design.

Right-of-way line verification is currently underway and expected to be completed by mid-November 2025.

Geotechnical boring (drilling of small test holes in the ground to explore sub-surface conditions) began on W. Swann Avenue on Saturday, November 1, 2025, and will continue into the Parkland Estates neighborhood. This work is necessary because future stormwater pipes will extend into Parkland Estates to move water to the planned box culvert on W. Swann Avenue.

The City has received questions about survey activities along W. Bristol Avenue, west of S. Howard Avenue. A Sunshine 811 utility location request mistakenly included a larger area of W. Bristol Avenue than intended. Work along W. Bristol Avenue is only expected between S. Howard Avenue and the Selmon Expressway to support drainage for the Selmon Expansion project. The recommended box-culvert route under design is the W. Swann Avenue route.

The information gathered helps ensure plans are accurate and construction is designed safely and effectively.

Box culvert construction will require City Council approval once the project reaches the 60% design milestone. Those drawings, along with the proposed Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract, are expected to be presented to the City Council in summer 2026.

Project Map - Stormwater Improvements

Map of the Palma Ceia Pines, Parkland Estates, New Suburb Beautiful, and Historic Hyde Park neighborhoods in South Tampa showing proposed, future, and existing stormwater infrastructure with labeled streets and landmarks. Proposed Phase 1 box culverts are shown in orange and run north–south along South Howard Avenue, beginning near West Platt Street, crossing West Fountain Boulevard, continuing south along South Alabama Avenue, and stopping at Bayshore Boulevard at an existing outfall. Additional Phase 1 box culvert segments are shown along West Fountain Boulevard between South Howard Avenue and South Lakeview Road, with labeled culvert dimensions. Proposed Phase 1 secondary storm sewers are shown in red and connect near West Fountain Boulevard and South Lakeview Road, and near West Bristol Avenue east of South Howard Avenue. Future Phase storm sewers (actual layout to be determined) are shown in green, including a segment along South Arrawana Avenue between West Horatio Street and West Azeele Street, with additional future connections throughout surrounding neighborhood streets. Existing box culvert connection points to remain are shown in purple near AMI Pond, south of West Horatio Street and west of South Howard Avenue, and near Sunset Drive where the system crosses the Selmon Expressway corridor. Existing ponds are shown in blue and labeled. AMI Pond is located near HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital south of West Horatio Street. Zom Pond is near West Azeele Street east of South Howard Avenue. Albany Pond is located near West Bristol Avenue adjacent to the Selmon Expressway, and Swann Pond is located farther north near West Swann Avenue along the expressway. The map also shows HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital, Bayshore Boulevard, the Selmon Expressway, neighborhood boundaries, and a north arrow for reference.
SHStormwater

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