Crews have started removing rainbow-colored crosswalks in Dallas along Cedar Springs Road in historically LGBTQ+ Oak Lawn. So where do things stand with the Mustang-themed decorative intersection near SMU in University Park?
Crews started removing decorative crosswalks in Dallas on Monday, March 23, after months of back and forth with state officials. The work of removing 30 decorative crosswalks in Dallas is expected to be completed by April 28, according to a memo.
“The Office of Arts and Culture is reviewing peer‑city approaches to determine alternatives to pavement markings and developing guidance for how public art may be incorporated in the right-of-way going forward,” the memo read.
The move comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott instructed the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) late last year to make sure cities and counties remove “any and all political ideologies from our streets.” At the time, Abbott said directive was intended to keep roads “safe and free from distraction” and warned that cities that don’t comply are at risk of losing state or federal transportation funding.
Monday, the Cedar Springs Merchant Association said the crosswalks are “an empowering symbol.”
“For over five decades, the Cedar Springs Road corridor has been more than a business district. It is a living monument, a sanctuary, and the beating heart of the LGBTQ+ community of Dallas,” a statement from the Cedar Springs Merchant Association reads. “The rainbow crosswalks installed along the intersections of Cedar Springs were not merely concrete. They were our welcome mat, our public vow, and a daily empowering symbol to every person who crossed them that here, you are safe, you are celebrated, and you are home.”
Prior to crews beginning removal of the crosswalks Monday, Dallas officials were notified in October that “decorative markings on public roadways do not comply with state standards,” according to a memo.
The City of Dallas requested an exception, which TxDOT denied in January. The City of Dallas then submitted a plan committing to bring crosswalks into compliance within 90 days.
University Park’s SMU Mustang-themed intersection at the Hillcrest Road and Daniel Avenue intersection drew less pushback from state officials.
City of University Park spokesperson Paige Ruedy said the Texas Department of Transportation sent the order to city officials and they conducted a review in November, which she said was isolated to the Hillcrest and Daniel Avenue intersection.
After the review, Ruedy said, “we believe all intersections within the City are in compliance with the Governor’s order.”
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