Sparks rained over Polk Street on Friday morning as demolition crews started cutting down the elevated sky bridge that once carried pedestrians between the Avenida South parking garage and the George R. Brown Convention Center. The teardown is one of the first highly visible moves in the Convention District Transformation and is already changing how drivers and visitors navigate traffic and parking near the GRB and the Hilton Americas hotel. Motorists and convention-goers are being warned to brace for on-and-off detours and tighter access to nearby garages as the work keeps rolling.
KHOU streamed live video of crews cutting and lowering sections of the bridge above Polk, with heavy equipment parked in the middle of downtown and traffic control blocking off lanes beneath. According to Houston First Corporation, which is overseeing the convention-district transformation, the GRB skybridge demolition and work at the Avenida South garage are among the listed closures and construction jobs tied to the expansion, with the agency coordinating with the city and TxDOT on safety and access.
Traffic and parking impacts
Polk Street has been shut down on and off in the demolition zone, with drivers pushed onto posted detours. The initial closure last fall, as the broader transformation project shifted into demolition and utility work, was first reported by Click2Houston. The Avenida South Garage offers roughly 1,459 spaces, but official parking details for the downtown campus from Avenida Houston warn that convention-district parking will shrink while demolition and construction continue, urging visitors to plan on alternate garages or transit options.
Timeline and official filings
State project filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation show a formal registration for the skybridge demolition and facade infill tied to the GRB, listing a July 1, 2026 start date and an Oct. 31, 2026 completion window for that portion of the work, per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Industry project listings released last year likewise placed the South Garage and Hilton skybridge removal in design and bidding, framing the current teardown as just one step in a longer, multi-phase plan rather than a one-off demolition stunt.
What to expect
The removal of the sky bridge is intended to clear space for broader upgrades to the convention campus and a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape that city and convention leaders say should make it easier to lure larger events and additional hotel business in the coming years. Houston First says crews are sequencing the demolition and construction to prioritize safety and cut down on disruption where possible, and it is encouraging event organizers and visitors to check project updates before heading into the convention district so they are not surprised by a missing sky bridge and a new set of barricades.
