Portion Of Busy Tampa Road To Close To Replace 80-Year-Old Pipes

TAMPA, FL — Starting Sunday at 7 p.m., the city of Tampa will close a busy stretch of West Shore Boulevard to replace 80-year-old water main pipes in the area.

The northbound lane of West Shore Boulevard between West Kennedy Boulevard and West Azeele Street will be closed through Friday at 9 p.m.

Brad Baird, deputy administrator of infrastructure for the city, said the closure will have a big impact on people who commute through South Tampa and shop in nearby businesses. Driver should allow extra time due to delays.

Crews will work extra hours to complete the project as quickly as possible, Baird said.

In addition to the complete closure of the northbound lanes of West Shore Boulevard, northbound traffic lanes will be open for local traffic only from West Azeele Street to West Cleveland Street.

"The reason we need to do a complete closure of northbound West Shore Boulevard between Kennedy Boulevard and Azeele Street is because we need to keep our crews safe," said Baird. "Fully closing northbound West Shore Boulevard also enables us to expedite the work and reopen the road much faster than other construction alternatives.”

Barricades and signs will be located in the area to assist with traffic flow.

Northbound traffic will be detoured to West Azeele Street.

This water main replacement project along West Shore Boulevard began on June 21, and is now entering the final water main replacement phase of the construction project.

A city of Tampa contractor has been replacing the water main along South West Shore Boulevard with new water main, improving water pressure and water quality. This work is part of a larger capital improvement project.

Sidewalks within the work areas will remain open. Safety fencing will be installed between the sidewalk and the construction area.