Houston First's Polk Street closure plan lacks detours, advocates say
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The George R. Brown Convention Center looms behind a sign announcing a proposal to close Polk Street in downtown Houston. Photo: Jay R. Jordan/Axios
Losing Polk Street as a thoroughfare could cause disruptions for drivers, bus riders and cyclists if the city of Houston goes through with closing the roadway.
Why it matters: The abrupt proposal to close Polk and the eventual plans to "open up" downtown to the East End leave those who use the road on a daily basis out of the question, advocates say.
Catch up quick: Houston First Corp. is asking the city to close a portion of Polk Street for a $2 billion renovation of the George R. Brown Convention Center.
The intrigue: Polk Street carries the only protected bike lane connecting East Downtown and East End residents to downtown.
- The Metropolitan Transit Authority's bus routes 40 and 41 also run on Polk Street. In total, the two routes carried more than 30,000 passengers per week in January.
What they're saying: "East-west connectivity in this area is already compromised," Peter Eccles, director of policy and planning at LINK Houston, tells Axios. "Currently, this proposal will just make things worse."
Driving the news: Houston First CEO Michael Heckman, speaking at an East End community forum on the proposal Monday, said they plan to work with Mayor John Whitmire's office to convert downtown's one-way Leeland Street into a two-way as a replacement for drivers and bus riders.
- Heckman did not provide a timeline but said the switch would ideally happen around the same time Polk is slated to be closed.
- When asked by community members what the plan was to detour the protected bike lane, none of Houston First's representatives had an answer.
BikeHouston executive director Joe Cutrufo tells Axios the city needs to provide a comparable protected bike lane amid the closure.
- "If the convention center expansion won't accommodate that, then we're going to need some new bikeways on parallel streets," Cutrufo tells Axios. "And they're going to need to be built before Polk Street is closed."
Zoom in: A proposed green space within the convention center renovation — which wouldn't be finished until 2038, Houston First says — wouldn't serve the same purpose as the dedicated infrastructure that currently exists on Polk Street.
- When announcing the convention renovations March 6, Whitmire said the work "will create walkability like never before for central Houston."
- "I've known my entire adult life … that the East End's been left out," Whitmire said of downtown Houston's development and growth. "To the Hispanic, proud east-side community: This is your day."
Yes, but: "What is being proposed in the renderings does not substitute for how crucial that connection is today," Eccles said. "Polk Street carries all kinds of traffic, peds, bikes, cars, buses. It's one of the few streets that does all of that."
- The connecting space pitched in the convention plans relies on a park being built on top of the underground portion of Interstate 69 and Interstate 45. That park has been proposed — but not funded — in the upcoming North Houston Highway Improvement Project.
The bottom line: "At the very least," Eccles said, "everybody needs to work together to make sure that there is an equivalent level of access for all different modes [of travel] here throughout construction."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information about Houston First's plans for a detour of Polk Street.