Houston First Company’s controversial plan to sever an artery connecting the East Finish to downtown Houston could have “no opposed affect,” in line with a visitors examine shared with Houston Public Media forward of what is more likely to be a contentious group assembly on Tuesday night.
Town’s conference and tourism group intends to shut a two-block part of Polk Road in October as a part of a $2 billion growth of the George R. Brown Conference Middle. After organized group backlash, Houston First proposed turning close by Leeland Road right into a two-way highway.
Based mostly on that plan, Houston First president and CEO Michael Heckman mentioned the “very complete examine … exhibits no opposed affect to the visitors in that space.”
The timeframe between closing Polk in October and turning Leeland right into a two-way road remained unclear.
Heckman mentioned Houston First was “attempting to speed up in working with town on making Leeland right into a two-way thoroughfare,” including that the company already commissioned ongoing engineering work.
“We expect that attempting to have as brief a interval as attainable from when Polk would near turning that into the two-way could be essential,” Heckman mentioned.
Folks for Polk, a community-organized group advocating towards the closure, examined the examine and argued it failed to look at “whether or not the closure creates longer, much less protected, and fewer accessible routes for the individuals who dwell, work, and journey by the East Finish.”
“We admire that they’ve introduced a examine,” resident Marcie Hysinger mentioned. “We really feel prefer it was incomplete in that the congestion by the intersections is one necessary piece, however the bigger piece is the actual connectivity between factors east and west. So not simply, ‘Can these specific intersections across the George R. Brown deal with intersection visitors with out inflicting a number of visitors congestion,’ however, ‘What’s the affect to the routes of parents that use Polk Road each day?'”
In an announcement, Houston First mentioned the aim of the examine was to judge the impacts of the conference heart growth and road closure on the 48 intersections “within the instant neighborhood of the venture.”
“It is necessary to notice that the examine didn’t focus solely on journeys to and from the GRB however quite explored how the closure of Polk impacts present visitors patterns and accounts for all journeys inside the examine space,” the assertion learn. “The extra journeys generated by the GRB South constructing are added to baseline journeys on the anticipated progress fee.”
Houston First mentioned the engineers who performed the visitors examine estimated the common vehicular commute would enhance by lower than 2 minutes on account of the Polk Road closure.
The visitors examine did not handle the lack of entry for cyclists, who at present profit from a protected lane alongside Polk Road.
“This can be a important hyperlink within the community,” BikeHouston government director Joe Cutrufo mentioned. “Polk Road has the one devoted bikeway between downtown and East Downtown. So if the plan is to close down Polk Road later this yr, then we want town to work shortly to make sure that there’s a brand new bikeway in place earlier than that occurs.”
Heckman mentioned biking options “must be additional studied.”
“We don’t know but what is going to change into of that bike lane, however common mobility is necessary to us,” Heckman mentioned.
Heckman mentioned BikeHouston and Houston First have met to debate the state of affairs with additional conversations deliberate.
The Metropolis of Houston nonetheless controls Polk Road, and town council might want to vote to give up the 2 blocks between Hamilton Road and Avenida De Las Americas for Houston First’s plan to proceed. The council member representing the realm, Joaquin Martinez, has expressed help for the venture, whereas at-large council member Julian Ramirez has criticized the closure.
“I believe the growth of the George R. Brown could be a superb factor for the entire metropolis, however the best way it has been laid out — very detrimental to the east facet,” Ramirez mentioned in March. “I believe if we’ll abandon Polk, then we have to hear from the administration what the remainder of the plan is.”
Greater than 200 individuals submitted public feedback to a metropolis committee in regards to the closure, and none expressed help.
Martinez and Houston First have emphasised the plans by the Texas Division of Transportation to reroute visitors from Polk as a part of the broader growth and rerouting of Interstate 45 within the downtown space. Whereas east-west journey on Polk Road would nonetheless be attainable in the course of the venture, autos must merge throughout a number of lanes in a brief distance alongside freeway feeder roads to navigate the detour.
“Important change is coming, and I’m unsure that all the public completely understands that,” Heckman mentioned. “We’re attempting to guarantee that people do perceive that, but in addition their suggestions has been necessary as a result of it’s helped us make changes. So we’ve taken that suggestions very critically.”
Houston First will host a public assembly at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the George R. Brown Conference Middle.
