Highway 4 & Boca Chica Beach
Starbase Road Closures
The City of Starbase closes State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX launches and testing. Check the schedule below before you drive out to a viewing spot or the beach. The next launch is Starship Flight 14.
Boca Chica Beach
Boca Chica Beach closures.
State Highway 4
No road delays.
What Actually Closes
Highway 4 is the only road out to the launch site and Boca Chica Beach. You drive it east from Brownsville; the Rio Grande and the Mexican border sit to the south and South Bay to the north, so there is no way around. On closure days everything past the checkpoint (the orange stretch, about 6 miles) is off limits, and the closest you can legally get is the checkpoint itself or South Padre Island, 5 miles north across the water.
State Highway 4
Your route in, from Brownsville & Boca Chica Blvd
Checkpoint· closure begins
Closure begins here. Barricades go up
Starbase Build Site
SpaceX factory & high bay
Launch & Catch Towers
The pad, two miles past the factory
Boca Chica Beach
Where Highway 4 ends
- Brownsville → the beach
- ≈24 mi
- 30–40 min straight out Highway 4
- Checkpoint → the beach
- ≈6 mi
- The stretch that closes, all of it public road
- South Padre Island → the pad
- ≈5 mi
- Across the water. 45–60 min by road
Where you can watch during a closure
Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island
The main public viewing spot, about 5 miles north of the pad across Brazos Santiago Pass. There is no bridge, so getting there means driving back through Brownsville: roughly 25 miles and 45–60 minutes. It stays open when Highway 4 is closed.
Highway 4, west of the checkpoint
Pull onto the shoulder anywhere before the barricades. Far more distant than the island, but it's the road you already drove in on and costs you nothing.
Scheduled Closures
Monday, September 28, 2026
4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. · Beach Closure (Primary)
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. · Beach Closure (Backup)
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
4:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. · Beach Closure (Backup)
Who Closes The Road
Closures of State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach are ordered by the City of Starbase, Texas, and published as numbered mayoral closure orders. Texas House Bill 5246 took effect on September 1, 2025 and moved that authority from Cameron County to the city, which was incorporated in May 2025.
Cameron County still hosts its old closure page, but it has not posted an order since October 2025 and last edited the page on Thursday, October 9, 2025. A schedule sourced from the county today would show nothing at all on a launch day. We read the city.
Orders are typically issued 2 to 5 days ahead of a launch, and are often amended or reissued as a date slips. Every executed order the city has published is linked below.
Executed Closure Orders
Showing 12 of 21. The full archive is on the city’s notices page.
Road Closure FAQ
Is Boca Chica Beach or Highway 4 closed today?
The City of Starbase closes State Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach for SpaceX launches and testing, and publishes each one as a numbered mayoral closure order at starbase.texas.gov. Texas House Bill 5246 moved that authority from Cameron County to the city on September 1, 2025. Closure days and times are listed on this page. For real-time alerts you can also text 'BEACH' to 866-513-3475.
Why does Highway 4 close at Starbase?
State Highway 4 is the only road to the SpaceX launch site and Boca Chica Beach, and it passes close to the pad. The City of Starbase closes it during launches, static fires, and other hazardous testing to keep the public outside the safety zone. Residents with proof of address between the checkpoints can still reach their homes.
How long do the closures last?
Most closures are scheduled for a block of several hours on a primary date, with one or two alternative (backup) dates in case the activity slips. Actual closures can be lifted early if a test scrubs, or extended if it runs long, so treat the posted times as a window rather than an exact schedule.