Street closures, detours and other traffic related information regarding the Convention District Transformation Project are outlined below.
Polk Street - April 2026
- Polk Street is now closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic between Chartres Street and Avenida de las Americas.
- The closure is permitted through Houston Public Works with standard traffic control plans in place.
- Motorists accessing Downtown destinations from northbound I-59 are encouraged to exit at West Gray and take Pease St. or St. Joseph Pkwy. into Downtown.
- Motorists traveling into Downtown from EaDo/East End are encouraged to take Pease St. or St. Joseph Pkwy.
- Work that will take place on and around Polk in the coming months includes but is not limited to:
- Demolition of skybridge between GRB and Avenida South Garage
- Demolition of skybridge between Hilton Americas and Avenida South Garage
- Demolition of Avenida South Garage (after May 4)
- Utility waterline work
- Houston First continues to coordinate closely with the City of Houston, TxDOT, and partners to ensure the safety and accessibility of travelers throughout this project.
Current Street Closures
- Chenevert Street (Between Pease Street and Leeland Street)
- Bell Street (Between Jackson Street and Hamilton Street) All lanes are closed.
- Chenevert Street (Between Bell Street and Clay Street) This section is closed.
- Clay Street (Between Hamilton Street and Jackson Street)
Click here to see additional closures in the area tied to TxDOT's NHHIP project.
Alert: Demolition of Avenida South Garage
- Houston First and its development team will begin demolition of the Avenida South Garage on May 4
- No new vehicles will be able to park in the Avenida South garage after 12 midnight on May 3.
- All vehicles must be removed from the garage by 5 pm on May 3.
- Those vehicles that remain in the garage after this time are subject to be towed.
- On and after May 4, vehicular usage of Avenida de las Americas between McKinney and Lamar will be restricted to Hilton valet only.
- Polk Street between Chartres and Jackson will be closed to all traffic.
- Pedestrian and bicycle traffic along Polk Street between Chartres and ADLA will be discontinued after April 20. This closure extends to Jackson Street after May 4.
- A rerouted cycling path connecting EaDo and Downtown via Rusk Street is shown below.
- Construction is currently underway on a new 1,000-space garage at Bell and Chenevert streets that is slated for completion in early fall.
Visiting the Hilton Americas-Houston
- Visitors to the Hilton Americas are encouraged to valet their vehicles at the front drive of the hotel on Dallas Street
- Valeted cars will be parked at the nearby Avenida Central Garage beneath Discovery Green
- Guests may also choose to park their vehicles in the nearby Tundra Garage near Toyota Center or at Norton Rose Fulbright Tower (based on availability) just southwest of the Hilton
- There are also three additional surface lots west of Norton Rose Fulbright Tower that total more than 400 spaces
- Visitors to Downtown can reserve parking online via ParkMobile.
Visiting the George R. Brown Convention Center and Discovery Green
- Visitors to the GRB and Discovery Green are encouraged to park in the Avenida North Garage accessible on both Capitol and Rusk streets
- Additional parking is available in other nearby surface lots.
- Visitors to Downtown can reserve parking online via ParkMobile.
Parking Options
Detour Bike Lane
Click here to see a current view of the project site.
Traffic Study & Public Engagement
Transcend Engineers + Planners LLC conducted a comprehensive traffic study to examine the impact of the GRB transformation project. Below are links to an executive summary as well as the full study.
Executive Summary
Houston First hosted a public meeting on July 1 at the GRB to convey information about the traffic study and other details on the impact of the transformation project. Click the links below to see the presentation from that meeting as well as a list of answers to questions submitted during that meeting and subsequently.
July 1 Public Meeting Presentation
Questions & Answers: Tranformation Project, Polk Street & Traffic Study - Updated July 28