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Residents and downtown users urge council to reject Polk Street abandonment, cite lost access to downtown
Summary
Community groups and dozens of callers told council abandoning a Polk Street segment would sever a key East End link to downtown, complicate bus and bike access and increase travel times; speakers asked council to demand fuller cost and access analyses from Houston First.
Residents and business representatives told City Council on June 10 that a proposed abandonment of Polk Street between Chartres and Avenida de las Americas would eliminate a vital East End connection to downtown and worsen travel and safety for transit users and bicyclists.
Speakers and an organized reading of 228 public comments argued Polk is one of only a few direct two-way routes from the East End into downtown and the only protected bike lane connecting those neighborhoods. “Polk Street is really the only direct path into downtown,” said one caller quoted during the public-comment summary read by Council Member Robert Gallegos’ office. Amy Erickson, representing a coalition called People for Polk, told the council her volunteers counted more than 1,000 vehicles on the street in an hour and estimated roughly 4.7 million annual trips on the corridor when combined with transit ridership.
Erickson also raised financial transparency concerns tied to downtown projects. After reviewing Houston First briefing material, she told the council Houston First has already spent $102 million on Phase 1 of a downtown project and plans to spend another $146 million this year but—she said—lacks a market‑informed budget until later in the year. She urged the council to demand a committee briefing from Houston First before any vote and to consider equity and multimodal access before abandoning a right-of-way.
Several speakers read or summarized submissions from East End residents who said closure would leave few safe alternatives for bicyclists and drivers and would force residents onto I‑69 or other less safe routes. “Removing this essential corridor without providing a dedicated and protected alternative would greatly impact the accessibility and safety of Houston cyclists and pedestrians,” one comment read aloud said.
Council members acknowledged the volume of public input and said they would seek additional briefings. Council Member Alcorn said he requested a Houston First presentation to a committee for a financial update. No final council action on Polk was reached during the June 10 meeting.
