MAKE AUSTIN GREEN AGAIN

Waterloo Greenway embarks on second phase of revitalization in downtown Austin

Waterloo Greenway The Confluence redering

The Confluence is expected to be finished by the end of 2025.

Photo courtesy of Waterloo Greenway Conservancy

A comprehensive revitalization plan for Waller Creek is now in its second phase, continuing construction of a 1.5-mile greenway from Waterloo Park to Lady Bird Lake. The project is the next step in an ongoing collaborative effort between nonprofit Waterloo Greenway Conservancy and the City of Austin’s Watershed Protection and Parks and Recreation departments.

This second phase, fittingly named The Confluence, will be located at the center of several downtown Austin recreational attractions, including the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, the Austin Convention Center, Rainey Street District, and more.

“The Confluence will directly connect people with one of the most beautiful natural areas in Austin, as well as some of our city’s most beloved cultural and historic destinations,” said Mayor Kirk Watson in a statement. “The City of Austin is proud to partner with Waterloo Greenway to inject new life into this section of Waller Creek through this legacy project, which will benefit our community for generations to come.”

Some highlighted features of The Confluence include:

Three pedestrian suspension bridges
A universally-accessible pedestrian and bike trail that connects 4th Street to Lady Bird Lake
An 800-foot boardwalk under Cesar Chavez Street
Public green spaces that can be used for community gatherings, such as Lagoon Overlook, Explorer Garden, and Lakeview Terrace
The planting of 1,550 new trees and 200,000 mature plants to help improve air quality downtown and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

In the release, Waterloo Greenway CEO Jesús Aguierre explained how The Confluence will “completely transform” the area between Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake, while reconstructing sections of fallen creek banks that have eroded after decades of flooding.

“The Confluence will … [restore] the health of the creek and [give] visitors new green spaces to explore, gather in, and enjoy, in one of the densest and fastest growing parts of Downtown Austin,” said Aguirre. “Our mission at Waterloo Greenway is to create a connected urban park system that promotes the wellbeing of our community, our environment and our local economy — and the groundbreaking of The Confluence represents the next step in delivering on that promise to the people of Central Texas.”

Phase II of the Waterloo Greenway project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, after which they will begin their final phase of revitalizing Palm Park and complete the 1.5-mile park system.

More information about Waterloo Greenway can be found on their website.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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