If the tunnel under Brandon Boulevard is done, why are there still cones on North Moon Avenue? And why did a new work zone just show up on FishHawk Boulevard?
The answer is the shape of the project. The South Hillsborough Pipeline is a 26-mile water main, and crews are building it as a line that runs down through the county. In October 2026, the toughest crossing in central Brandon was finished. That same month, work began to pick up miles to the south. Some streets in central Brandon will reopen this fall. Others won't see a crew until 2027. Knowing which is which makes the next few months of driving easier.
The crossing that held up central Brandon is finished
Crews have finished the microtunnel beneath Brandon Boulevard, and restoration has started. The project team expects access to North and South Moon avenues to be restored by early November, weather permitting.
A tunnel was used here so crews didn't have to cut a trench across a major road. Tampa Bay Water's route map shows 17 trenchless locations along the full alignment. Its engineers chose the route from 10 options using 11 criteria. Public inconvenience was one of them, along with safety, environmental impact, permitting and cost. Brandon Boulevard is one of the 17 crossings, and it's now behind us.
The next street over isn't finished yet. The project schedule lists October 2 as the start of open-cut construction on North Moon, with North Moon closed between Brandon Boulevard and Victoria Street. The closure notice set the full closure to through traffic and pedestrians for October 5. That open-trench work is expected to continue through late December. So "access restored by early November" means you'll be able to get onto the Moon avenues at Brandon Boulevard again. It doesn't mean North Moon will be free of construction.
Follow the line on a map
The project's overview page lays out the route of Segment A, the long northern piece. In order, it:
- Leaves Tampa Bay Water's Regional Facilities Site and crosses Falkenburg Road at Woodberry Road
- Heads east past Providence Road to Limona Road, then south
- Turns east on Victoria Street, then south on North Moon Avenue
- Turns east on Robertson Street West and south on Parsons Avenue, past Lumsden Road
- Continues south on John Moore Road, west on Ronele Drive, then south on South Kings Avenue
- Turns west on Alafia Boulevard and crosses under the Alafia River at 4142 Alafia Blvd.
- Runs along Alafia Ridge Road and Alafia Ridge Loop, south on McMullen Road, then east on Boyette Road to FishHawk Boulevard and the Lithia Water Treatment Plant
The pattern is easier to see laid out this way. Much of the Brandon-side work this fall sits in the first five steps. FishHawk Boulevard, at the far end of the route, is just getting started.
Segment B connects near FishHawk Boulevard, just west of FishHawk Creek. It runs south past Boyette Road and Balm Boyette Road to a new connection point at Balm and Balm Riverview roads. Hillsborough County is funding it, and Tampa Bay Water will own and operate it.
The fall handoff, date by date
Here's the project schedule as of mid-October 2026. The project says all dates and locations are subject to change.
| Date | Location | What's scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 2 | North Moon Avenue | Open-cut construction begins; closed between Brandon Blvd. and Victoria St. |
| Oct. 5 | Falkenburg Road, just north of Woodberry, behind the Circle K | Microtunnel equipment delivered |
| Oct. 7 | South Kings Avenue | Southbound exterior lane reopened, from just south of Ronele Drive to Dali Drive |
| Oct. 12 | El Greco Drive at Ronele Drive | Closed |
| Oct. 19 | FishHawk Blvd., south side, just east of FishHawk Ridge Drive | Crews mobilize to build a microtunnel shaft |
| Week of Oct. 19 | Ronele Drive | A portion paved; final restoration follows pressure testing of the pipe |
| Oct. 24 | Victoria Street | Scheduled to reopen |
| Oct. 26 | FishHawk Blvd., south side, east of Hometown Lane to east of FishHawk Ridge Drive | Tree and brush clearing scheduled to start |
Read top to bottom, the table shows the handoff. Victoria Street and the South Kings lane are reopening or restored, and Ronele is getting paved. Meanwhile, the FishHawk Boulevard entries are new starts. The South Kings median still needs restoration later. Ronele's final surface also has to wait until the pipe passes pressure testing. A freshly paved stretch may still get one more round of work.
The FishHawk tunnel pit is the longest new piece on the list. The crew is building a shaft to tunnel under FishHawk Boulevard. Expect more construction noise and activity Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for about six months, weather permitting. Trucks entering and leaving the site may cause brief traffic delays, but no long-term road closures are expected. On that schedule, the pit work would run into spring 2027.
The schedule also lists work continuing in several places at once:
- Boyette Road north of Rhodine Road
- Boyette Road just east of Hammock Crest
- Boyette Road from the Bell Shoals bridge to just west of McMullen Road
- The TECO easement near the FishHawk Sports Complex
- 4142 Alafia Blvd., the river crossing
- Victoria Street and North Moon Avenue
- North and South Moon avenues at Brandon Boulevard
- Falkenburg Road just north of Woodberry
Why the line runs south
The direction of the dig follows from the job the pipeline is doing. It will be up to 5 feet in diameter and carry up to an additional 65 million gallons a day. That water will come from the Tampa Bay Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant in Brandon to two Hillsborough County sites: the Lithia Water Treatment Plant and a new plant planned in the Balm area.
Tampa Bay Water's figures explain the urgency. By 2050, the agency projects Brandon's population will grow 35% and Riverview's by more than 30%. Apollo Beach is expected to double, and Wimauma to more than triple. Brandon is where the water starts, and the fastest growth is to the south. The project's FAQ, revised in August 2025, also describes the line as a backup supply for the Lithia plant.
The price has gone up as the plans developed. The same FAQ puts the estimate at $505.7 million, including about $84 million for the county-funded Segment B. A route estimate reported in January 2023 was $417 million.
Central Brandon has another round coming
The Brandon Boulevard tunnel is done, but central Brandon isn't finished with this project. Work on South Moon Avenue isn't scheduled to begin until late 2027, barring unforeseen conditions. If you live or run errands near the Moon avenues, early November should bring some relief. The area will see trenching again a year after that.
The overall timeline explains the gap. Construction is scheduled from fall 2025 through 2028. The pipeline is expected to go into service at the end of 2028, with restoration in the first half of 2029. Tampa Bay Water's July 2025 notice targeted an October 2025 construction start. A later project notice said crews could start moving in equipment as early as November 10, 2025, to drill under FishHawk Creek. The start moved back a few weeks, but the end-of-2028 service target hasn't changed.
Easements are mostly settled. The project says the vast majority have been identified and the property owners notified. A few more temporary construction easements may be needed later. If so, owners will be contacted by certified U.S. mail or by phone.
Getting through the next few months
Detours. The North Moon Avenue closure notice on the project's updates and detours page, also published by the Osprey Observer, closes North Moon to through traffic and to pedestrians on its sidewalks between Victoria Street and Brandon Boulevard. Drivers are routed along North Knights Avenue, Victoria Street, North Parsons Avenue and Brandon Boulevard. The notice includes a separate sidewalk and school-route detour. Current notices with map graphics are posted on that same updates page.
Alerts and questions. You can sign up for email updates through the project's contact page. The project line is 813-485-6480, and the email is [email protected]. Neighborhood and homeowners' associations can use the same email or phone number to request a project presentation.
The businesses along the route. The project's Shop Local page links to business directories in English and Spanish, and businesses along the corridor can submit promotions, offers or events. In October, the Osprey Observer named three businesses that have stayed open through construction near the Brandon Boulevard work:
- Nothing Like Us Detailing, a locally owned car wash and detailing service just outside the Parker Pawn parking lot, 656-208-8360
- Arnold Dentistry, a family-centered practice that has served Brandon for nearly 30 years, 813-689-1529
- Brandon Medical Center, offering weight loss programs, IV therapy, wellness injections and aesthetic services, 813-502-6430
Victoria Street's October 24 reopening and the October 26 brush clearing on FishHawk Boulevard were both scheduled dates. Check the schedule page before you plan a route around them. The next fixed milestone for central Brandon is restored access to North and South Moon at Brandon Boulevard, targeted for early November.
If you live along the pipeline route and want to know how the construction calendar could affect timing on a sale or purchase, Mazzotta Mallios Homes can help you plan around it, from showing schedules near closures to what buyers will see on a drive-by. Get your instant home valuation, and we'll walk through the street-level details with you.
