City of Austin transportation crews paved over the “BLACK ARTISTS MATTER” mural on East 11th Street and the giant “TEXAS” letters on Guadalupe Street in West Campus on Thursday, the city confirmed.
Last year, after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to withhold road funding from cities if they did not remove “political ideologies” to keep roadways “free from distraction,” TxDOT gave cities until November 2025 to remove “decorative crosswalks, murals, or markings conveying artwork or other messages.”
Austin requested an exemption to keep 15 pieces of street art, but TxDOT rejected the appeal, instead requiring the city to submit a plan of action in late June to address many of the markings.
In addition to applying a seal coat to the two stretches of road Thursday, the city will cover rainbow crosswalks at Fourth and Colorado streets with black thermoplastic by the end of July, according to the city’s plan. Crews also will spray a fog seal over decorated traffic circles at East 22nd and Salina streets and East 52nd Street and Avenue H.
TxDOT permitted the city to install curbs and other improvements around three other painted locations, but according to the submitted plan, funding was not available for the work. Instead, crews will remove street art along Joe Sayers Avenue, Arroyo Seco and Lamar Square.
A crosswalk painted like a river on Lake Austin Boulevard is also slated to be removed, the document notes, but the crosswalk is part of the city’s public art collection and must follow a formal deaccession process before it can be painted over. The Austin City Council is expected to vote on the matter in late August.
In response to TxDOT’s order, the City Council-appointed Public Spaces Task Force sought alternate ways “to celebrate all of the diversity, pride and love that makes Austin such a great place to call home,” Mayor Kirk Watson wrote in a recent newsletter.
On June 19 and 20, the task force held community events to celebrate the art. The group also planned new installations, including a Pride mural between Colorado and Lavaca streets. Watson said the city will unveil an LGBTQ historical marker at Fourth and Colorado in August.
“The choices made by the state were meant to be mean, create chaos, and cause sadness,” Watson wrote. “The choices we’re making to celebrate our diverse communities again shows that Austin can and will rise above negative efforts and always look for opportunities to create joy and belonging.”