[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...inglePage=true

With tunnel under way, talk turns to expensive Waller Creek facelift

By Marty Toohey
Published: 9:14 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012

It took nearly three decades for work to start on the huge Waller Creek tunnel and eliminate the flood risk the waterway poses to the eastern edge of downtown Austin.

Now, talk at City Hall has turned to completing the vision for Waller Creek: turning a neglected gulch with long sections that are overgrown and trash-strewn into Austin's next great attraction.

The City Council decided last week to ask voters to approve $13 million for Waller Creek in a November bond referendum. Municipal staffers say another $8 million is now available in the city coffers and promise another $9 million can be scraped together amid tight budgets by the time the tunnel is finished in 2014. That $30 million will cover much of the cost of rebuilding the creek bed and adding functional trails that can be tied into neighboring amenities such as the Austin Convention Center. Ultimately, the city expects to spend $60 million on refurbishing the creek.

The conservancy is now holding an international urban design competition for 15 blocks along the creek, from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake. The winning submission, to be chosen as soon as mid-October, will serve as a blueprint for reimagining the creek, according to an agreement between the city and conservancy.