Rainbow crosswalks on Cedar Springs get a timely Pride refresh

It was out with the old to make way for the new this week on Cedar Springs as crews began removing damaged rainbow crosswalks to replace them with new rainbows
(Photos by Chad Mantooth

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com

Work to replace the rainbow crosswalks on Cedar Springs Road began Wednesday morning, June 18, and workers said that they hoped to have the old, dull and damaged crosswalks removed by the end of the day, and new rainbow crosswalks installed by the end of day on Thursday, June 19 — weather permitting, of course.

Getting the special rainbow crosswalks installed on Cedar springs took years of the Mayor’s LGBTQ Task Force working with the city to implement the project. After years of petitioning the city to paint rainbow crosswalks in the Gayborhood and news stories about every other major city marking their gayborhoods with rainbows, work began on the Oak Lawn crosswalks in February 2020.

While the rainbow crosswalks in Dallas weren’t the first of their kind, what set the crosswalks in Dallas apart from those in other cities was that Dallas had 10 rainbows up and down Cedar Springs Road. Most other cities had just two or four.

For a short time, the new crosswalks on The Cedar Springs were brightly colored, but within months — during the pandemic when the bars were still closed and traffic was at a minimum — the colorful stripes began to deteriorate.

According to Dallas Voice reporting at the time, the crosswalks were made of thermoplastic that was glued to the pavement or asphalt, and then treated with heat to make them permanently adhere. Thermoplastic, the city was told, would last longer than paint, although maintenance would be needed to patch and repair the crosswalks from time to time.

But shortly after the crosswalks were installed, it became obvious that painted crosswalks in the same neighborhood were lasting much longer than the thermoplastic rainbows.

The cost of the crosswalks was covered by private donations, with the committee that raised the money presenting the city with a check for $128,250 in February 2020. But in less than a year, it was obvious that the community hadn’t gotten what it paid for. In the last couple of years, for some reason, the crosswalks at Oak Lawn Avenue have deteriorated the most, while the crosswalks further down the road at Kroger are still in reasonably good shape.

The LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce has taken the job of replacing the crosswalks under its umbrella. And chamber CEO Tony Vedda said he learned that the difference between the one end of the street and the other is the type of pavement the stripes were laid on.

The city hoped to complete work on Cedar Springs Road in time for Pride. Because of heavy rain last week, the project was delayed. And in addition to the weather, Vedda said, “I’m told the crosswalk vendor is still waiting for materials to be delivered.”

But now the project is underway, and having the crosswalks replaced before the end of Pride Month is a goal well within reach.

“The refresh of the iconic Cedar Springs crosswalks is more than a beautification project — it’s a bold, visible reminder of the strength and resilience of our LGBTQ+ community,” Vedda said.

“We are incredibly grateful to the past and current donors whose generosity helped bring this vision to life, and we sincerely thank the city of Dallas for its ongoing commitment to investing in this neighborhood,” Vedda added. “Their partnership on this and future projects ensures that Cedar Springs remains a vibrant, welcoming destination for all.”

Cedar Springs Merchants Association, which has also been involved in the effort to refresh the rainbow crosswalks, issued a statement this week saying, “We’re thrilled to see the new crosswalks coming to Cedar Springs. This neighborhood has always been the heart of Dallas’ LGBTQ+ community, and these crosswalks are more than just paint on pavement — they’re a vibrant symbol of pride, visibility and progress. We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this happen and can’t wait to see our streets shine even brighter.”

The LGBTQ Chamber Foundation is raising money to cover the cost of replacing the crosswalks, and Kay Wilkerson, a co-chair of the crosswalk committee, urged the community to help back the crosswalk repainting project and take pride in the neighborhood.

Wilkerson said she’s not looking for a few large donations but instead, for a large number of donations, and she hopes to see those donations from a broad range of people from across the community. Visit LGBTChamberFoundation.org to donate.