Dallas Drainage Project Will Finish in 2029

Local operators face three more years of construction as the city pushes the completion date for the Mill Creek tunnel.

Updated on Oct. 2, 2026 in Remote Work

Isometric editorial illustration of large concrete tunnel sections in a construction yard, representing urban infrastructure project delays. — The city of Dallas has extended the completion date for the $320 million Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel to 2029, citing pandemic-related supply chain and permitting delays. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The city of Dallas has pushed back the completion of the $320 million Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel to early 2029. The five-mile infrastructure project, which began in 2018 to replace 1930s-era drainage systems, is currently 87% complete.

Why it matters

The delay extends the timeline for infrastructure reliability in flood-prone areas near critical hubs like Baylor University Medical Center. For local business owners, the extended construction period means continued management of traffic disruptions and access challenges that have persisted since work began.

The project budget totals over $320 million, with the 5-mile tunnel now scheduled for full completion in early 2029. Current progress sits at 87% overall, while the technical phase involving a 15-inch thick concrete lining is 64% complete.

The details

The project involves building a 5-mile tunnel from the U.S. Highway 75 and Woodall Rodgers intersection to White Rock Creek to mitigate flooding in Old East Dallas. Delays have been attributed to COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, permitting challenges, and initial worker productivity estimates that proved overly optimistic. Contractors must finish lining the tunnel with 15 inches of concrete, a phase that will continue through Fall 2028.

2006: Voters approved initial bond funding for the project.
2018: City started construction on the drainage tunnel.
September 2026: Project reached 87 percent completion status.
Fall 2028: Tunnel concrete lining phase ends.
Early 2029: Expected completion of the project.

Market Landscape

This project follows the long-term capital improvement trajectory established by the 2006 and 2012 Dallas bond funding initiatives. The delay represents a significant extension of the city's timeline for upgrading infrastructure that has remained largely unchanged since the 1930s.

Operators in Old East Dallas should plan for continued construction-related logistics hurdles through at least 2028. Monitor municipal updates for specific road closure notices that may affect deliveries or customer access as the final concrete lining phase continues.

The takeaway

Complex municipal infrastructure projects frequently experience timeline creep due to compounding supply chain and productivity variables. Business owners should maintain buffer zones in their own long-term capital expenditure or logistics plans to account for similar civic project delays.