1839: The town of Waterloo, situated between two creeks, is chosen to be the capital of the new Republic of Texas. A new city is built quickly in the wilderness, and its name is changed to Austin, in honor of Stephen F. Austin, “the father of Texas.” Texas President Mirabeau Lamar chose Judge Edwin Waller to supervise the surveying and sale of town lots and the construction of public buildings at the new capital. During the process, one of the surveyors names the creek known as Waller Creek after Waller.

1840: On January 13, 1840, Edwin Waller is elected as Austin’s first mayor, having no opposition and receiving 187 votes. He resigns from his position before the term expires.

1883: The University of Texas at Austin opens along Waller Creek.

1915: Flash floods kill 35 people, including 12 along Waller Creek. Many people drown from swirling water inside their houses. Excerpts from a 1915 article in the Austin American-Statesman read: “Whole sections of the city were submerged for hours. Houses were washed away, cows, horses, chickens and other fowls were careening down swelled Shoal and Waller Creeks...This morning Austin presents a pitiable sight.”

1938: Lyndon B. Johnson, recently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, walks Waller Creek and decries the “shanties” and “hot beds of crime.”

1969: The University of Texas Board of Regents decides to bulldoze several hundred feet of Waller Creek, along San Jacinto Boulevard—south of 21st Street, and adjacent trees to expand Memorial Stadium. In an unsuccessful attempt to stop the bulldozing, student protesters chained themselves to trees on October 22, 1969, in what becomes known as the Waller Creek Riot.

1974: A cold front, on the evening of November 23, brings thunderstorms in a 40-mile wide line that drop between four and 10 inches of rain in Central Texas. Stalled cars are abandoned all over Austin and “every road in the county has people stranded on the rooftops,” a Travis County sheriff’s office spokesman said.

1975: A joint venture of numerous urban planners, architects, landscape architects and engineers create the Waller Creek Development Plan for improvements to the Waller Creek corridor as part of the City of Austin’s U.S. Bicentennial project. The plan includes recommendations for immediate, near future and long-range development through land use, circulation, landscape architectural design elements, and flood and erosion control systems.

1976: The City of Austin and National Bicentennial Commission sanction the writing of “Austin Creeks” as Austin’s bicentennial gift to the nation. The book presents a comprehensive study of Austin’s natural waterway systems. The plan calls for protecting and enhancing waterways for preservation, recreational use and flood control. City and national funding for the project lead to the completion of the Shoal Creek Hike and Bike trail, development of the Glenn Oaks Greenbelt on Boggy Creek, extension of the Stacy Creek Trail and initiation of the redevelopment of Waller Creek.

1981: Thirteen people drown and $36 million in damages are incurred as part of a storm event on May 24, 1981, remembered as the “Memorial Day Flood.” This short-duration storm with intense rainfall hits many of Austin’s urban creeks: Shoal, Walnut, Little Walnut, Bee and Waller Creek.

1997: On November 6, 1997, the Austin City Council passes a resolution to initiate discussions with the public institutions and private interests that share responsibility for and the potential benefits from Waller Creek.

1998: On February 5, 1998, the Austin City Council holds a public hearing to receive public input regarding the proposed expansion of the Convention Center and the construction of the Waller Creek tunnel as a means of flood control. A resolution passes to hold an election to finance the projects through the use of additional revenues created by a two percent increase to the hotel/motel occupancy tax.

In a special election held on May 2, 1998, voters approve financing measures providing $25 million in funding for Waller Creek.

1999: The Austin City Council approves negotiating a professional services agreement on January 21, 1999, with the joint venture of Brown & Root, Inc./Espey Padden for professional engineering and associated services for Phases 1 and 2 of the Waller Creek Tunnel project. The negotiation process was to allow for citizen input and requires the contractor to illustrate what the tunnel inlet and outlet would look like. An agreement for $2.25 million is executed with Brown & Root, Inc./Espey Padden on May 20, 1999.  

2002: It is determined that the amount appropriated by the bonds is not sufficient to cover all costs for the Waller Creek Tunnel project. As a result, the Austin City Council was briefed on alternative funding options for constructing the tunnel and on alternate options for use of the related bond proceeds.

2003: The City of Austin revisits the project and consultants estimate design and constructions costs to total $68.3 million. Additional funding is not appropriated and the project is again postponed.

2004: The estimated cost for the tunnel rises to more than $68 million. Preliminary talks between the City of Austin and Travis County about jointly funding the project break down.

2006: The City of Austin’s 2006 Bond Election Advisory Committee conducts extensive research during their evaluation of the proposed projects and investments to submit to voters in a bond election. Their report determines the Waller Creek Tunnel project to be a worthy one that would greatly enhance the safety and livability of the eastern portion of Downtown Austin. However, they also determine the City of Austin should pursue other funding mechanisms for the project outside of general obligation bonds.

On June 22, 2006, the City of Austin prepares a proposal for Travis County about creating a special taxing district (a Tax Increment Finance Zone, or TIF), in which property taxes collected from property owners along Waller Creek will be set aside to pay for the tunnel.

2007: The estimated cost increases to $124 million. Travis County signs onto the taxing district. The City of Austin sets aside all the property taxes from the district for the TIF, while the county sets aside half.

On April 12, 2007, the council establishes the Waller Creek Citizen Advisory Committee (WCCAC) to serve in an advisory and oversight capacity for the construction and development of the Waller Creek bypass tunnel and the Waller Creek redevelopment project. The committee consists of 15 members who are representative of or sensitive to the needs of the downtown area and Waller Creek.

On August 30, 2007, the Austin City Council approves an amendment to the professional service agreement with the joint venture of Brown & Root, Inc./Espey Padden for design/bid (phase two) and construction management and warranty assistance (phase three) engineering services for the Waller Creek Tunnel.

2008: On January 24, 2008, the Waller Creek Citizen Advisory Committee (WCCAC) passes their first resolution to the Austin City Council, providing their design recommendations on the character of the inlet and outlet structures, base flow of the creek and overall use of the creek.

On May 8, 2008, the Austin City Council selected ROMA Design Group to create a master plan for the area around Waller Creek.

2009: The Austin American-Statesman described the area in the following way: “Waller Creek is an unwelcoming place. Trash litters the flood-prone waters. Homeless people take shelter beneath the low bridges. And most buildings near the creek face coldly away from it.”

2010: Design of Waller Creek Tunnel is completed. It calls for underground storm water bypass tunnel approximately one mile long and 22 feet in diameter. It will begin in Waterloo Park and end at the tail waters of Lady Bird Lake near Waller Beach, and maintain constant water flow through the creek. As a result, 12 roadways and 42 buildings will no longer be in the floodplain. Approximately 28 acres of land, or 11 percent of downtown, will become available for development.

In July of 2010, The Austin City Council adopts a Master Plan for the Waller Creek area with three main goals:

• Enhance the ecological, hydrological, and open space value of the creek corridor;
• Create an interwoven web of appropriately scaled pedestrian and bicycle linkages to, across and along the creek corridor that connect Lady Bird Lake with The University of Texas at Austin, and east Austin and Rainey Street with Downtown;
• Promote development activity and investment along the creek and throughout the District.   

Also in the summer of 2010, Austin business and philanthropic leaders Tom Meredith, Melba Davis Whatley and Melanie Barnes form the Waller Creek Conservancy. The group’s purpose is to take preceding efforts to the next level, by overseeing the design and construction of the Waller Creek area, as well as raising funds for implementation. 

In September, the City of Austin starts the solicitation process for bids to handle the construction of the Waller Creek Tunnel.

2011: The estimated cost of the tunnel balloons to $146.7 million. The Austin City Council approves spending $49.9 million to hire S.J. Louis Construction to build the main portion of the tunnel. It also approves a plan to increase the citywide drainage fee starting in 2015, in response to scaling back its projections for the revenue generated by the taxing district. The typical resident would pay about 40 cents a month more, with the surcharge bringing in about $55 million over 13 years.

On April 8, 2011, a groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of construction of the Waller Creek Tunnel.

On April 28, 2011, the Waller Creek Conservancy forms a historic partnership with the City of Austin, with both committing $400,000 to fund the design and implementation of a new master plan for the Waller Creek area.

On November 11, 2011, the Waller Creek Conservancy invites the most innovative and qualified landscape architects, architects, and artist to join force to explore designs to transform the now-blighted, urban area into a lively, livable, workable landscape. Registration for the design competition opened midnight on November 8 with the hope of gaining international attraction.

2012: Anticipated completion date for the Wall Creek Conservancy’s new master plan to be decided.

2014: Anticipated completion date for the Waller Creek Tunnel.