The Chevron Houston Marathon is back, and it’s bringing sweeping road closures across the city that could impact your entire weekend commute.
Drivers across Houston should expect slowdowns, detours and full highway closures from Friday night through Monday morning as runners take over the city. Here’s what you need to know about road closures, parking, viewing spots and how to get around on race day.
Major highway closures
Two key stretches of Interstate 69 will be completely shut down beginning Friday night:
IH-69 Eastex southbound from Polk Street to SH-288 from 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9 through 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12
IH-69 Southwest northbound from SH-288 to Alabama Street from 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9 through 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12
Expect significant delays in downtown, Midtown, Montrose, Memorial Park and the Galleria area. Officials recommend using navigation apps such as Google Maps or Waze to avoid closed sections.
Street closures begin at 6 a.m. Sunday
All lanes will be closed on dozens of streets along the marathon and half-marathon routes. Key closures include:
Congress (Crawford to Smith)
Smith (Congress to Franklin)
Washington (Congress to Waugh)
Heights/Waugh (Washington to West Gray)
Kirby (Inwood to Bissonnet)
Bissonnet (Kirby to Montrose)
Mandell, Sunset, Main Street, University Boulevard, Weslayan
Memorial Drive, Shepherd, Allen Parkway
Bagby, Lamar, Avenida de las Americas
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Freeway exit ramps also closing:
610 West Loop southbound exit to Hidalgo/Richmond
I-69 southbound exit to Newcastle
A full closure schedule is available through the Houston Marathon course map.
Neighborhood driving directions & parking
Race organizers have published neighborhood-specific driving guides and parking recommendations, including:
Washington Corridor
Upper Kirby
Rice & West University
Galleria Area
Tanglewood & Memorial
Memorial Park
Drivers heading downtown are encouraged to use designated parking garages and surface lots outside the race footprint.
METRO is strongly recommending riders use public transit during race weekend. Trains and buses can help bypass many of the closures, though some routes may be detoured.
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