How Infrastructure, Equity, and Opportunity Come Together Along the Brazos River
The Brazos River is the reason Waco exists and the reason flood planning must be intentional. Historic floods, including the devastating 1913 flood, shaped the city’s layout, leaving older infrastructure and undersized drainage systems in areas where water still wants to go.
Mayor Pro Tem Andrea J. Barefield, now President-Elect of the Texas Municipal League, has spent four terms translating that history into a forward-looking plan: modernize aging infrastructure, center equity in reinvestment, and treat the river as an asset, culturally, economically, and safely.
Fixing infrastructure where risk and disinvestment overlap
Waco’s approach starts where systems fail most often and where past disinvestment has compounded flood risk. A recent corridor project illustrates the strategy. Initially planned as a sidewalk and lighting upgrade, construction uncovered clay and even wooden pipes beneath the street. Rather than patching the surface, the city expanded the scope, replacing utilities, right-sizing drainage, rebuilding the street, and improving crossings.
The result was a generational fix that reduced flood-related closures, improved safety, and strengthened conditions for small businesses connecting downtown, Baylor University, and the riverfront.
“Fix It While It’s Open”
Across Waco, the city applies a simple rule: if a street is open, right-size everything beneath it. Water, wastewater, and drainage systems are upgraded for current demand and future growth in one coordinated effort. This approach saves money, reduces disruption, and builds public trust by avoiding repeated construction.
Infrastructure as a pathway to opportunity
In Waco, flood resilience and economic opportunity are inseparable. The city is opening the Bledsoe-Miller STEAM Center, featuring robotics labs, makerspaces, an immersive learning room, and a recording studio. Located near the river, the center connects students and residents with public works and water professionals, building an understanding of how infrastructure supports growth.
Partnerships with SpaceX, the U.S. Naval Academy, Mars Wrigley, Caterpillar, Baylor University, Texas State Technical College, and McLennan Community College make the center both a workforce pipeline and a civic classroom.
Lessons for peer communities
- Scope projects beyond the surface. Utilities, safety, and economic opportunity should advance together.
- Use construction windows wisely. Replace undersized pipes and add future capacity when streets are already open.
- Anchor growth in living-wage jobs. Residents should feel tangible benefits from infrastructure investment.
Waco will continue advancing drainage and safety upgrades in flood-prone corridors while guiding smart growth that protects neighborhood identity. AFC supports communities like Waco through flood funding navigation, peer examples, and convenings that move projects from concept to construction faster.
