AUSTIN, Texas — It's been about four months since heavy rain led to flooding along Little Walnut Creek in North Austin.
Clogged storm drains caused the creek to overflow into homes, leaving residents with a lot of cleanup and repairs. But starting this weekend, the City of Austin began taking new steps to try and fix the problems.
On Saturday, City crews began Phase 1 of construction on the "Little Walnut Creek Flood Risk Reduction Project." Construction of Phase 1 is expected to wrap up next spring.
During construction, Mearns Meadow Boulevard will be closed to through traffic from Rutland Drive to Parkfield Drive. Detour signage will be posted to guide drivers in the area, according to the City.
Crews plan to dig a 20-foot trench along Mearns Meadow Boulevard to install new concrete box culverts near the creek, under Mearns Meadow Boulevard from Quail Valley Boulevard to the Mearns Meadow Detention Pond in Quail Creek Park. If the creek floods again, water will go into those culverts, instead of toward homes.
Ryan Albright is one of the dozens of residents along Mearns Meadow Boulevard who was forced to renovate his home after floodwaters gutted the inside on April 20.
Albright explained that while it is a good sign the project will finally get underway to help prevent flooding, he believes it's something that should have been addressed sooner.
"It'll be great when there's a 100-year flood, which is what that's designated to mitigate. Again, though, that would not have prevented the flooding that occurred in April," Albright said.
Albright said he was one of the few fortunate enough to pick up the pieces ruined in the flooding, but he still holds a strong blame on the City.
"They seem to be having some efforts to be a little more clear and like what's going to happen in the construction and the progress, which is nice. But in terms of what happened to this neighborhood in April, it doesn't change a thing," Albright said.
The construction price is listed at $19.7 million.
The project has been years in the making and had originally started in the summer of 2021; however, it was put on hold in November 2022.
The culverts will be installed in four phases of construction to limit the extent of road closures throughout the project. At the end of each phase, the impacted part of Mearns Meadow Boulevard will be repaved and reopened to through traffic.
The project is managed by Capital Delivery Services in partnership with the Austin Watershed Department and includes a pipe to carry floodwaters, pond improvements at Quail Creek Park and upgrades to wastewater pipes. The City said to date, the project contractor has focused on pond improvements near Rutland Drive to improve water quality and reduce flooding.
The project is expected to be completed by early 2026.