The station was first announced as Cross Street station when the Land Transport Authority unveiled the Downtown Extension (DTE) on 14 June 2005. The DTE was initially planned to be a branch of the Circle line that would extend from Milennia (now Promenade) station to Chinatown station. In 2007, the DTE was revised to be the first stage of the Downtown line. Contract 908 for the construction of Cross Street station and associated tunnels was awarded to a joint venture between Samsung Corporation and Soletanche Bachy France at a contract sum of S$224.9 million (US$ million) in August 2007. Through a public poll, the station was renamed to Telok Ayer in June 2009.