Polk Street no longer a one-way street adjacent to building

HOUSTON, Texas – A minor adjustment is expected to reap major improvements in the traffic flow around the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRBCC) after city workers changed Polk Street to a two-way street adjacent to the downtown meeting place.

Though the vast majority of thoroughfares in Houston’s downtown street grid are one-way in nature, Polk Street has been re-striped for three blocks, from Chartres to Avenida de las Americas, to allow for traffic flow in both directions and greater access to surface parking lots on the south side of the GRBCC. The immediate area also draws traffic to the Hilton Americas-Houston – the City’s largest hotel at 1,200 rooms – and a 1,600-car parking structure that is used by both the GRBCC and the hotel.

“We think this minor adjustment is going to exponentially improve traffic around the convention center,” said Dawn Ullrich, director of the GRBCC. “The presence of large public structures in a confined area, on a grid of one-way streets, presented a challenge for convention-goers and other motorists unfamiliar with the area.

“This one small, subtle change is going to make a big difference, especially on days when multiple events are taking place – and traffic is letting out simultaneously – here at the Brown, the Hilton and Toyota Center.”

At 1.85 gross square feet, the GRBCC ranks among the 10 largest convention centers in America. The building features 1.2 million square feet of exhibition, meeting and registration space. For more information, please call 800/427-4697 or visit www.houstonconventionctr.com.

Contact:

Pete Radowick
713-853-8077
peter.radowick@cityofhouston.net

Anna Hawley
713-853-8287
anna.hawley@cityofhouston.net