Residents recently took the time to meet with county officials to discuss the second phase of a sewage pipeline construction project affecting their community along S.R. 674.
The discussion involved almost $8 million of taxpayers’ money and the project’s potential affect on the local traffic or on the nearby residential areas for the next couple of years.
The public meeting, held by the Hillsborough County Public Utilities Department last month, was one of two meetings scheduled to discuss the design of a new sewage pipeline in the area of I-75 and S.R. 674.
Following the words of welcome to those present, County Water Resource Division Community Relations Coordinator Michelle Van Dyke introduced Mark Dillman as project manager and Dorian Modjeski and Don McCullers of Cardno TBE Design and Engineering Firm.
The project – averaging $6 million, depending on one of the three proposed alternatives – will install approximately 8,000 feet of 30-inch sewage force main from Cortaro Dr. and S.R. 674 to the South County Wastewater Treatment Plant on the western side of I-75.
Dillman said that the route skirts the southern and western edges of the Villages of Cypress Creek community. Construction is expected to begin in late 2011, lasting nine months, and is being built to accommodate growth in South County and to increase overall system reliability by providing a second transmission main along the S.R. 674 corridor.
The project is being funded through the Water Resource Division’s Capital Improvement Program.
During the meeting, Dillman emphasized that the work is the second phase of a two-part project by the department’s Water Resource Division (formerly known as Water Resource Services) to build a new sewage pipeline from U.S. Hwy. 301 to the South County Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“The first phase, along S.R. 674 from U.S. 301 to Cortaro Drive, is now under construction and is expected to be completed early next year,” Dillman said.
Depending on the alternative proposed, the project’s pros and cons varied between more or less money, project timeframe, and future growth in the area.
While it was not very hard to discern, which proposed rout was the likely winner, Dillman said that no decision will be made until following the second meeting to be sure the public has ample opportunity to provide their input and ensured the small audience that the Water Resource Division will work with construction crews to ensure local residents and businesses can access their homes and buildings with minimal inconvenience.
For more information about the project please visit the County’s Water Resource Division department at www.hillsboroughcounty.org.
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