The city of Austin covered the “TEXAS” street mural on Guadalupe Street in front of the University of Texas at Austin campus overnight with a mixture of gravel and oil, according to Jeff Stensland, the public information officer for Austin Transportation & Public Works.
The mural’s removal, first reported by The Daily Texan, UT’s student newspaper, was removed between 3 and 6 a.m., Stensland said. The removal came after Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Transportation to eliminate “non-standard surface markings, signage and signals” in October.
In May, the Texas Department of Transportation rejected the city of Austin’s appeal to preserve the street art.