$12 Million Project to Close Downtown Houston Blocks to Cars

A stretch of Main Street in downtown Houston is set to become a “vibrant, happening retail environment,” in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Downtown Houston+, the organization behind the effort, is pitching Main Street Promenade, a $12 million project that will close the seven-block area between Rusk and Commerce Streets to cars and turn it into a pedestrian-friendly walkway with retail and restaurants, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Construction is scheduled to start in May, with the project set to finish just ahead of the World Cup in June 2026.

The promenade’s design will include an elevated street that provides a path alongside restaurant patios and retail storefronts, according to Cassie Hoeprich, the nonprofit’s director of planning construction. Metro’s Red Line trains will continue to operate along Main, and cross-street traffic will remain unaffected at intersections.

“This is going to create an environment that’s unlike anything else that we have in downtown,” said Kris Larson, CEO of Downtown Houston+.

The organization is offering grants of up to $50,000 to businesses adding outdoor seating or updating storefronts, a move that aims to encourage local establishments to transform Main Street into a destination, moving away from its traditional focus on corporate offices. Downtown Houston+ is an umbrella organization for several other nonprofits, according to its website. How it is funded wasn’t reported.

The nonprofit is focused on efforts to breathe life into downtown Houston, where office transactions have dried up. Leasing volume in the third quarter — specifically leases of 10,000 square feet or more — fell to the lowest level since 2016, according to CBRE.

“Downtown now has more visitors than employees. You have the Rockets games, you have theater and all these reasons for people to come downtown, but there is no go-to place to start your journey,” Larson said.

Native landscaping, including a 150 percent increase in tree coverage, will help reduce ambient temperatures in the area by up to 10 degrees. The addition of Houston’s iconic blue-and-white tile street markers at intersections, and a mural near the Preston rail stop, will further enhance the promenade’s appeal once completed.

— Andrew Terrell