Bedford Forced to Remove Student Artwork from Crosswalks

The City of Bedford must share some unfortunate news regarding the two painted crosswalks in front of Harwood Junior High and Bedford Junior High.

On October 8, 2025, Governor Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to ensure all Texas cities and counties comply with federal and state roadway-safety guidelines. This directive specifically prohibits symbols, flags, and other markings that convey social or political messages, as well as any signage or surface treatments that do not directly support traffic control or safety. 

Under this guidance, TxDOT is requiring municipalities to remove any non-standard markings or risk losing state and federal transportation funding and future agreements with the agency. 

While Bedford’s crosswalks do not contain social or political messaging, they are still considered “non-standard markings.” Despite our efforts to seek an exemption, the crosswalks do not qualify under the State’s directive. To comply with these requirements, the artwork must be removed. Work is scheduled to begin on November 24 and is expected to take four to five days.

Before moving forward, we notified HEB ISD of the directive and the required removal. Attempts were made to locate both students whose artwork was originally featured in the crosswalks. Thanks to this post, the City has been able to connect with the family of the Harwood Junior High artist. The Bedford Junior High artist’s contact information, however, has not been found at this time.

We are truly disappointed to lose these meaningful pieces of community art, which brought color, pride, and student creativity to our school zones. This decision was not made locally nor taken lightly; it is a direct result of state-level requirements.

We appreciate the community’s understanding and remain committed to transparency as we work through this process.