The “TEXAS” crosswalk mural on Guadalupe Street was covered with gravel Thursday morning to comply with a state directive to remove all roadway art, according to a spokesperson with Austin Transportation and Public Works.
Austin initially requested to keep the art but was required to submit removal plans to the Texas Department of Transportation by June 22. If the art remained, the city risked losing federal and state funding and having agreements with the department suspended, according to a TxDOT letter to the city.
City workers began sealing the areas closest to the Capital Metro bus stop in front of the University Co-op on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Jeff Stensland, public information and marketing manager for Austin Transportation and Public Works. Workers then finished the roadway in the early morning Thursday, covering the lettering with a gravel sealant, he said.
The “TEXAS” crosswalk, which was installed in May 2024 to celebrate UT joining the Southeastern Conference, will now be replaced with standard white crosswalk bars, Stensland said.
The other crosswalks flagged by the state, including Austin’s rainbow crosswalks on West 4th Street and the “Black Artists Matter” mural on East 11th Street, are undergoing the same removal process, Stensland said. This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott and TxDOT called for the removal of all surface markings that may “compromise safety,” including political or otherwise non-standard markings in October 2025.
The crosswalk on Guadalupe Street currently has no roadway markings or crosswalk bars, which will be replaced in the next couple of weeks, Stensland said. The rough gravel texture of the road will eventually be smoothed down due to the large CapMetro buses that frequent the street, he said.
“Luckily, Guad is very heavily traveled by our friendly buses that weigh 22,000 pounds,” Stensland said. “Those will help so that (the gravel will) get pushed down pretty quickly.”
Stensland urged drivers to use caution on the road in the meantime, as loose gravel can easily kick up and cause damage.
Kara Kockelman, professor of transportation at the Cockrell School of Engineering, said the removal makes sense for safety reasons, since Guadalupe Street is a high-traffic area. She said the mix of bike lanes, a parking lane and wide sidewalks make this a challenging place to implement a mural.
“You’ve got sort of an interesting road diet situation,” Kockelman said. “I don’t think (the mural) was necessarily a bad idea, … but that place was a little bit messy. There are probably simpler positions on campus (where) UT can do what it wants.”