Texas Department of Transportation officials have denied San Antonio’s request for an exemption to keep the rainbow-colored crosswalk at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street, requesting the city comply with the state’s directive to remove the markings or risk losing state or federal transportation funding.
In a Nov. 25 letter, TxDOT Traffic Safety Division Director George Villarreal said the department “does not consider this exception request acceptable,” rejecting the city’s Nov. 5 request to keep the crosswalk in place. The letter states that any exemption request must include a signed and sealed certification from a traffic engineer affirming the markings comply with the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Without that documentation, Villarreal wrote, the city was required to submit a plan to remove the noncompliant markings by Dec. 10, warning that “failure to comply with this directive may result in the withholding or denial of state or federal funds and/or the suspension of agreements between TxDOT and the city.”
On Dec. 10, Assistant City Manager John Peterek responded with a plan outlining the removal of the crosswalk.
“The City continues to believe that the crosswalks in question are safer than before the installation of the rainbow-colored paint, that the intersection is safer than comparable nearby intersections, and that it demonstrated the importance of the crosswalks to the Pride Cultural Heritage District,” Peterek wrote. “Nevertheless, the City will respect TxDOT’s decision.”
Peterek wrote the city will complete removal and replacement operations on or before Jan. 15, 2026.
While the crosswalk, which is within the street itself, will be removed to comply with state requirements, city officials said San Antonio plans to install rainbow-colored sidewalk treatments off the road one block north and one block south of the intersection to continue recognizing and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.
How we got here
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive on Oct. 8 ordering the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure cities and counties remove “political ideologies” from roadways, warning that noncompliant markings could jeopardize state and federal transportation funding.
The directive cited “non-standard surface markings, signage and signals” that do not directly support traffic control or safety, including symbols or messages conveying social or political viewpoints.
Following the order, TxDOT identified San Antonio’s rainbow-colored crosswalk at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street — located within the city’s Pride Cultural Heritage District — as out of compliance.
City officials formally requested an exemption on Nov. 5, arguing the rainbow striping did not function as a traffic control device under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and citing crash data that showed fewer pedestrian injuries at the intersection after the crosswalk was installed.