IMPROVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE
Utility relocations are concealed but critical
part of Florida road widening project
By Kate Boupha
L
ocation, location, location. The cliché rings true, and The southern portion of Hillsborough County is growing
Hillsborough County, Florida, has it all – Gulf Coast especially fast, and U.S. 301 is a busy stretch of roadway in
beaches, a warm climate, and a thriving economy. the area. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is
It’s no wonder it’s one of the fastest growing counties in working on a $48.9 million project to expand a 4-mile section of
the nation, and it’s no surprise that residents and the the road, and approximately $7.8 million dollars of that project is
infrastructure feel the strain. marked for the Hillsborough County Public Utilities Department
(HCPUD) to relocate its utility pipe lines in the project area.
Sitting in a traffic jam on an overworked stretch of road, drivers
know the road needs work, but they probably aren’t thinking
of what’s beneath the pavement. The utility pipes that move
water in and out of their homes are buried from view, and the
relocation of those pipes is often the first obstacle to widening
the roadway and relieving the traffic jam.
www.AyresAssociates.com
Above photo: Crews working on U.S. 301 oversaw placement of
a drill being placed on a tapping gate valve.
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