Dominic Anthony Walsh/Houston Public Media
A notice to close part of Polk Street in downtown Houston is posted near the intersection of Polk and Avenida De Las Americas on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
With one month until the planned closure of Polk Street — a bustling thoroughfare connecting drivers, cyclists and pedestrians from Houston’s East End to downtown — about two dozen area residents asked the city council to delay the plans on Tuesday.
“East End families will lose access to Discovery Green, downtown parks and civic programs. Children who walk or bike to events will be cut off,” resident Kyle Rogers said. “This creates two Houstons — one with access and one without.”
Houston First, the city’s local government corporation for tourism and conventions, is slated to obtain a two-block section of the street as part of the $2 billion, 13-year expansion of the George R. Brown Convention Center. East-west connectivity will also be affected by the Texas Department of Transportation’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project as the state works to reroute Interstate 45 along what is currently I-69/U.S. 59 over the next two decades.
A traffic study commissioned by Houston First and unveiled in late June found the closure will have “no adverse impact” — a finding disputed by the grassroots community group People for Polk. Houston First said the engineers who conducted the traffic study estimated the average vehicular commute would increase by less than 2 minutes as a result of the Polk Street closure.
People for Polk, along with a handful of neighborhood associations in the area, are demanding Houston First invests $250 million “in infrastructure, mobility, and engagement improvements” as part of a community benefits agreement.
“A community benefits agreement could ensure communication, transparency, accountability, while addressing the impacts on nearby neighborhoods,” People for Polk organizer Amy Erickson told the city council on Tuesday.
In an effort to boost connectivity, Houston First already planned to fund the conversion of nearby Leeland Street into a two-way road. The corporation told Houston Public Media, “At this time, Houston First is not in a position to offer additional concessions in connection with this project.”
“In response to comments and concerns from some community members, our project team is working in collaboration with Houston Public Works to convert Leeland Street to a two-way configuration,” Houston First said in a statement. “That work is moving forward as quickly as possible and a recently released traffic study conducted by Transcend Engineers & Planners LLC shows minimal additional travel time across 48 different intersections in the area with the changes proposed.”
In order for the closure to proceed, the Houston City Council will need to hand over ownership of Polk Street to Houston First. Council member Joaquin Martinez — who represents the area and also serves as an ex officio member of the Houston First board — supports the expansion plans but also wants to see additional concessions.
“I think concessions are important,” Martinez said, pointing out the estimated conversion cost of Leeland Street is $10 million. “Should it stop there? I don’t think so. But Leeland is a priority because it’s the closest east-west connection, parallel to Polk. … When it comes to the community benefits agreement, to ask for $250 million — it’s a heavy ask.”
The closure is expected to come sometime in October.