Waller Creek
The Waller Creek Tunnel Project is the very first step in transforming a part of Downtown Austin. The project is a storm water bypass tunnel that will capture and redirect flood waters south of 12th street and safely carry them to Lady Bird Lake. The project will begin in Waterloo Park where an inlet structure will take in flood waters and screen out trash and debris. Additional inlets between 4th and 5th Streets and between 8th and 9th Streets will capture additional flood waters. The tunnel will help prevent severe flooding and stream bank erosion by controlling the volume of water in the creek. It will empty the diverted waters into a lagoon on the shores on the Lady Bird Lake.
Currently, much of the Waller Creek District lies within a 100-year flood plain. Over the years, the area has been subject to severe flooding and erosion and has never reached its full potential as a vibrant, economically viable part of Downtown. Once the tunnel is installed and the threat of flooding is reduced, the potential for redevelopment has necessitated the creation of the Waller Creek District Master Plan.
The purpose of the Waller Creek District Master Plan (WCDMP) is to guide future public and private investment and redevelopment so that they achieve the community’s vision for the area. The WCDMP has three components: the Master Plan, which articulates the community’s vision and recommends it’s physical form, the Framework for Development Standards, which is intended to identify potential regulations to shape the form and treatment of private and public development, and the Implementation Program which recommends a variety of implementation actions, proposes priorities among them, and provides budget estimates for the recommended surface improvement projects.
