Construction work commenced this month on Waller Creek tunnel project, a storm water bypass tunnel located in Waterloo Park, Austin in the US.
The Waller Creek tunnel project, a storm water bypass tunnel plan detailed an inlet structure in Waterloo Park and an outlet structure at Lady Bird Lake near Waller Beach and the Four Seasons Hotel.
The tunnel will measure a mile long and will vary between 22 and 26 feet (6.71 to 7.93m) in diameter. The project will be executed with an investment capital of USD 144M.
The project was expected to reduce the size of the 100-year floodplain of the lower Waller Creek watershed by an estimated 28 acres and allow denser development and redevelopment in a very desirable area of downtown Austin.
Initially, construction crews will excavate a 70-foot (21.34m) deep shaft straight down into the creek between Fourth and Fifth streets in downtown Austin, then tunnel towards Lady Bird Lake and Waterloo Park.
The project should be completed by 2014. The tunnel was expected to eliminate the threat of floods along the creek. It was hoped it would pave the way for future development.
