Tower construction to close Red River in Rainey district until SXSW

Increasing growth in the Rainey Street district is expected to bring the closure of a portion of Red River Street until the beginning of South by Southwest in March. The closure is necessary to complete utilities work related to the installation of chilled water lines for 98 Red River St., which, when completed, will become the site of what was once predicted to be the tallest tower in Texas.

In a memo issued last week, the Transportation Department notified members of City Council of the expected closure of Red River from East Cesar Chavez Street to Driskill Street for weeks beginning this month. The total closure is required because of the need to excavate 20 feet below ground, with the necessary machinery likely taking up the entire roadway.

ATD staff noted in the memo that the total closure appears to be the only way to safely accommodate the construction needed for the Waterline, a mixed-use project that will stand more than 1,000 feet tall when it is completed. Staff noted that the concentration of apartment and condominium tower projects in the area and its limited traffic access points will create difficulties coordinating the various construction efforts.

The memo notes: “Some Council offices may have received several citizen complaints regarding these construction projects. Given the number of projects and limited access in the Rainey district area, as well as ongoing activities, construction impacts are unavoidable. ATD will continue to engage with the contractors and Rainey district residents proactively and review permit requests to mitigate negative impacts to the greatest extent possible.”

While the closure will last for roughly a month, the duration of that specific portion of the tower’s construction is projected to last 20 weeks, adding more vehicles and construction equipment to an already highly active district.

Transportation throughout the Rainey Street district has been an issue of increasing concern as the area has attracted more residential and hotel developments in a tightly packed cluster of downtown.

One possible solution proposed by ATD is to extend Red River Street farther southward into the district, though that would in theory require the cooperation of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center because of the loss of parkland involved in the construction. It would also require the acquisition of private property that currently serves a hotel and residential tower.

That extension project, last widely discussed in 2021, would most likely be funded through collections from the city’s street impact fees plan, though it wasn’t expected to have funding allocated until 2024 at the earliest.

The Waterline is one of the most high-profile projects in the Rainey district, expected to top out at 74 stories when completed, with 352 apartments, 700,000 square feet of office space, 24,000 square feet of retail, and a 251-room hotel. Projected at 1,022 feet, it would be more than twice the height of the Frost Bank Tower, long one of the most iconic structures on the Austin skyline.

Renderings and early details of the project on the 3.3-acre site began appearing in 2020, with Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential finally breaking ground last summer. It is expected to be completed in 2026.

If the Waterline eventually takes the title as the state’s tallest tower, it won’t hold it for long. Late last year plans emerged for Wilson Tower, a project from Wilson Capital that will be located on Fifth Street and is expected to stand 1,035 feet tall when finished – 13 feet taller than the Waterline.

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Posted In: Roads, District 9