The crosswalk at the center of San Antonio’s Pride Cultural Heritage District is scheduled for removal, but the city is moving forward with a new plan to maintain LGBTQ+ visibility through rainbow-colored sidewalks along North Main Avenue.
As originally reported by Texas Public Radio, the City of San Antonio has begun preparing sidewalks to be painted in rainbow colors after receiving a directive from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to remove the existing rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of Evergreen Street and North Main Avenue.
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Why the Rainbow Crosswalk Is Being Removed
The rainbow crosswalk was first installed in 2018 using approximately $19,000 in donated funds raised by Pride San Antonio. Pride San Antonio also paid for ongoing cleaning and maintenance of the crosswalk. It later required replacement after damage caused by an underground pipe repair conducted by the San Antonio Water System.
In recent months, TxDOT ordered the city to remove the crosswalk as part of a broader initiative tied to Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to eliminate roadway markings that the state considers symbols of “political ideologies.” In October, TxDOT warned cities that failure to remove such markings could result in the loss of state road funding.
San Antonio requested an exemption, citing safety benefits associated with the crosswalk, but TxDOT denied the request in November. Removal of the crosswalk is expected to begin around January 12.
The City’s Sidewalk Plan
In response, the city approved a project to paint rainbow-colored sidewalks along two blocks on each side of North Main Avenue, between Laurel Street and Park Avenue. Contractors have blocked off the area as work begins.
The sidewalk installation is expected to last into February and cost approximately $170,000. According to city officials, the project will be funded through existing Public Works Department funds. Because the city is using a previously approved contractor, no additional city council vote was required.
🌈 RAINBOW CROSSWALKS TO SIDEWALKS🌈
San Antonio is preparing to replace the iconic rainbow crosswalks in the Pride Cultural Heritage District after pressure from the state. But first it plans to start adding new rainbow sidewalks.
MORE –https://t.co/URTi3J24Y0 pic.twitter.com/xWOd89ofhA
— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) January 8, 2026
City Manager Erik Walsh outlined the process in a memo to City Council:
“The intersection will first be resurfaced, which includes the removal of the existing crosswalk, followed by the installation of a standard black-and-white crosswalk in accordance with City of San Antonio specifications which conform to TxDOT Pavement Marking Standards.”
Walsh also confirmed that portions of the original rainbow crosswalk would be preserved:
“Prior to the resurfacing, pieces of the rainbow-colored crosswalks will be saved for possible future art installations.”
Pride District Response
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said she was “sad” about the removal of the rainbow crosswalk, but expressed support for the city’s efforts to maintain Pride visibility through the sidewalk project.
“I love that the design created with input from the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board features the modern Pride flag, helping ensure that the Pride Cultural Heritage District remains a vital and inclusive space in our city.”
Ben Harrell, District 1’s appointee to the LGBTQIA Advisory Commission, described the sidewalk plan as a response to state pressure.
“The state handed us an impossible situation here, and I think what the city is doing now with the rainbow sidewalks is the best of a bad situation.”
He added:
“In some ways it’s even better, because we’re going from having a single crosswalk to four city blocks of rainbow sidewalks.”
Opposition From Council Members
Some council members objected to the use of city funds for the sidewalk project. District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte argued that infrastructure priorities should take precedence.
“When taxpayer dollars are involved, our focus should be on addressing these essential infrastructure needs.”
District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears stated that the crosswalk removal was a safety and compliance issue rather than a targeted action against the LGBTQ+ community.
“Protected free speech is what makes America the best country in the world. However, tax dollars should not fund individual viewpoints.”
Broader State Context
San Antonio is not alone. Other Texas cities, including Austin, Houston, and Dallas, have agreed to remove rainbow crosswalks following similar TxDOT warnings.
Federal guidance has also shaped the conversation. In the summer, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued guidance stating:
“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork.”
“We Will Persist”
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, the city’s first openly gay council member, pushed back against the framing of the issue as purely administrative. “Data shows that this intersection was safer after the installation of the crosswalks,” he said. Adding,“This has always been about bigotry and the state choosing time and time again to attack the LGBTQ+ community.”
Addressing the cost of the sidewalk project, McKee-Rodriguez said:
“Taxpayers wouldn’t be paying anything if Greg Abbott didn’t force us to rip up and replace a perfectly good intersection.”
Harrell echoed that sentiment during an LGBTQIA Advisory Commission meeting:
“No matter how you try to erase us, we will always, always find a way to be visible. We refuse to be erased.”
REFERENCE: Texas Public Radio