Waller Creek Flood Tunnel & Trail Update Thread

[Urbannizer]

[IluvATX]

I wish the boardwalk was next to the creek as opposed to directly above it.

[Riverranchdrone]

Yeah so far I am not a huge fan of it. Directly above the creek. Unless the creek level it at the perfect height to where it seems you are floating or walking right on the water.

[AusTex]

And are they demoing the old concrete trail? It looks, well terrible in those photos. We will see!

[Jdawgboy]

There's only so much that they can do in that particular stretch. It's a tight squeeze and I don't think the city owns much land beyond the creek. I think the finished product should look pretty nice... (hopefully)

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by Riverranchdrone

Yeah so far I am not a huge fan of it. Directly above the creek. Unless the creek level it at the perfect height to where it seems you are floating or walking right on the water.

They will control the water. Did you forget about Waterloo Park..?

[IluvATX]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

Given the physical limitations of that part of the creek... seems like a good solution. Plus... it's only for a short segment. Will be fun to be on!

[The ATX]

A lot of money was spent on the flood control tunnel so this walkway project could happen. I don't think flooding is a concern. Just look how the water is being controlled during the construction.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by The ATX

A lot of money was spent on the flood control tunnel so this walkway project could happen. I don't think flooding is a concern. Just look how the water is being controlled during the construction.

The Waller Creek Tunnel project's primary goal was about flood control (pulling acres of developable land out of the floodplain). All the other stuff is the cherry on top.

[ahealy]

It looks so good already -- can't wait for all of this to be complete

and yes, Waller Creek Flood Tunnel is why this can be hovering above a creek that normally floods...

[IluvATX]

I don’t think anyone was implying it would flood, just the fact that being on top of the creek is undesirable.

[Urbannizer]

Waterloo Greenway via LinkedIn

[gillynova]

Just got an email of it being installed too!

[SproutingTowers]

I think this bridge design is called an inverted arch foundation.

[clubtokyo]

All of this is really something to be proud of! Lots of cities would love to have there downtown areas transformed like this.

[drummer]

^ Agreed. Very cool to see this coming together. I recall seeing some of the original designs for Waller Creek years ago and thinking it would be cool...but might be a pipe dream.

[zrx299]

Originally Posted by IluvATX

I don’t think anyone was implying it would flood, just the fact that being on top of the creek is undesirable.

You can largely thank the transients for that design feature. Much harder to set up camp on a suspended boardwalk than a dark and shadowy concrete bank & sidewalk with lots of concealing plant life (like Shoal Creek). People won't use it if the perception is that it's unsafe. Without that critical mass of people, the undesirables move back in, and the cycle repeats.

Hopefully I'm wrong and this turns out to be a fantastic addition to **our** greenspaces.

[Syndic]

I'm late to the party but this is dope. Also, I believe the exact opposite of this:

Originally Posted by IluvATX

I don’t think anyone was implying it would flood, just the fact that being on top of the creek is undesirable.

Would walking alongside a creek be more interesting and innovative? That's how trails interact with every creek in existence. This will actually be different and unique.

[IluvATX]

Originally Posted by Syndic

Would walking alongside a creek be more interesting and innovative?

I don’t know about innovative, but yes. When millions are spent to keep the water at a constant flow/depth, it would be nice to be able to see it.