HOUSTON — Houston police have added barriers to parts of a notorious stretch of road on the southwest side.
The Bissonnet Track is a known hotspot for human trafficking and prostitution, among other things. It runs between the Southwest Freeway and the Sam Houston Tollway.
Since May of last year, police have been closing side streets and using temporary barriers, now, they've gone one step further.
It's a more permanent solution that City Councilmember Edward Pollard helped start. Pollard said the new gates were installed thanks to the help of Commissioner Lesley Briones and her team.
Pollard said all of it is possible thanks to the Houston Police Department.
In less than a year, they said they've already seen improvements. On Wednesday, HPD shared photos of the newly installed gates that have been put up in several spots along Bissonnet.
They're meant to keep illegal activity out of the area by blocking the areas frequently used for prostitution and drug use and sales.
In May 2023, officers started going out every night to move temporary barricades and keep watch. Now, they can lock the gates all night and reopen them in the morning.
Pollard said that ever since they started blocking off the area, residents and business owners have seen a transformation and feel safer.
"If you go down the street right now, you do not see many of the things that you used to see -- open drug sales, open prostitution, gang activity -- the things that plague the area that brought down what was once a thriving community is now been changed," Pollard said.
He said he wants the so-called Bissonnet Track to be known as the Bissonnet Corridor to get rid of its bad reputation.
He said his office will continue to work with HPD to make the stretch of road a priority.
During Wednesday's City Council meeting, two developers put in applications to start building multi-family housing in the area. Pollard said it's the first time in a long time private investors are coming to the area.