Texas cities face crosswalk crackdown tied to state and federal funding

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put local governments on notice this month to get rid of their colorful or commemorative crosswalks, which celebrate things such as the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter, or risk losing critical funding.

He directed the Texas Department of Transportation on Oct. 8 to make sure cities and counties remove all "symbols, flags, or other markings conveying social, political, or ideological messages" from their streets.

"To keep Texans moving safely and free from distraction, we must maintain a safe and consistent transportation network across Texas," the Republican governor said in a statement. "Any city that refuses to comply with the federal road standards will face consequences including the withholding or denial of state and federal road funding and suspension of agreements with TxDOT."

The move comes as some big Texas cities faced budget pressures going into fiscal 2026. It also marks the latest attempt by the Republican-controlled state government to exert more control over urban entities.

"This is just the next episode in an ongoing effort of the state government to impose more conservative governance on the big cities that they consider blue and woke," said Randall Erben, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin law school.

He pointed out that Abbott appoints all five members of the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees TxDOT and billions of dollars in funding.

"It's clear that if (cities) don't do this, those transportation commissioners are going to forgo giving those dollars to those cities for their big projects," Erben said.

In the wake of Abbott's directive, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County quickly announced plans to paint over a rainbow crosswalk that dates back to 2017 in Houston's historic LGBTQ-plus Montrose neighborhood. Crews tore up the painted crosswalks Monday, according to local published reports.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire addressed the matter at last week's city council meeting, saying the crosswalk has become "a manufactured issue" with financial consequences.

"It's a real (issue) in terms of federal and state funding," he said, noting Abbott could use his line-item veto power to jeopardize "everything we succeeded in getting from the state this year and plan to get in the future."

Council Member Abbie Kamin called for the city to fight back.

"If we do not find ways as a city to take a stand, what's next?" she said. "We have seen the usurpment of local control over and over again, and it continues to get worse as they continue to target some of our most vulnerable communities."

Whitmire ruled out a legal battle.

"There's ways that you can bring the community together and protect your views without going to the courthouse," he said.

The nation's fourth-largest city is struggling with a structural budget deficit that has depleted reserves, leading to negative outlooks on its AA bond ratings from Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings.

Austin, which identified about 16 locations with markings that could be impacted, agreed to abide by Abbott's directive while it seeks alternative ways to represent its diverse community.

"Failure to remove the paint would jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars," Mayor Kirk Watson wrote in an Oct. 11 message to the city council. "Austin Transportation and Public Works alone currently has $175 million in state and federal grant funding. Of course, there are also additional grant opportunities coming up that could be lost."

The city is seeking voter approval next month for a property tax rate hike to plug budget holes.

Galveston already removed a rainbow crosswalk by its city hall in response to the governor's directive, according to Public Information Officer Marissa Barnett.

"We receive transportation funding for a variety of projects in the city, from roadways to public transit to bridge projects, as well as grants for things such as drunk-driving enforcement," she said in an email.

Other cities are holding off for now.

A statement from Dallas said the city will review and evaluate a letter it received from TxDOT and provide an update to the city council on any necessary next steps. The city has a negative outlook on its A1 bond rating from Moody's Ratings due to spending and pension pressures from a 2024 voter-approved proposition boosting public safety funding.

A spokesperson for San Antonio said the city is working with TxDOT to understand the state's specific areas of local concern.

"There are no immediate plans to make changes to any roadways, and any future changes will occur with city council input," the spokesperson added.

The Texas crackdown follows a nationwide push launched by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who initially targeted "murals and other forms of artwork" on Washington, D.C. streets as potential distractions for motorists and pedestrians.

In a July 1 post on the X platform, Duffy told U.S. Department of Transportation roadway funding recipients that the money's use is limited to safety improvement features.

"Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks," the post said.

Duffy sent letters to governors in July asking their states to participate in the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies initiative. The governors were given 60 days to identify potential or documented safety or operational concerns on arterial roads, including intersections, and submit a list to the FHA.

"Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions," Duffy said in a statement. "Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball. USDOT stands ready to help communities across the country make their roads safer and easier to navigate."

The FHA is compiling responses from states and conducting a review of the submissions, according to USDOT's press office.

Duffy issued prior warnings tying federal transportation grants to compliance with federal immigration and other policies and requirements.

In late June, the Florida Department of Transportation initiated a compliance crackdown on all public roads that called for the removal of markings or signs "associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images" that do not contribute to traffic safety or control. State funds would be withheld from public agencies that fail to comply, FDOT warned.

A rainbow crosswalk in Orlando honoring victims of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub mass shooting that claimed 49 lives was removed by state workers in August, according to local media reports.