A half-mile-long rainbow mural has been painted in Washington, DC, to celebrate “World Pride.”
The vibrant “Rainbow Road” painting will stretch down 15th Street between V and O Streets NW.
Neither the Capital Pride Alliance, DDOT, nor related sources (e.g., WorldPride websites, news articles, or public records) state the mural’s cost to taxpayers. Similar large-scale street murals in other cities have ranged from $20,000 to $100,000.
DC’s now-removed “Black Lives Matter Plaza” mural, which covered a portion of 16th Street NW, cost $271,231 to repaint in 2023, including $217,680 in labor and $53,551 in paint supplies. The mural is smaller than Rainbow Road, but it used similar materials and city contractor processes.
WUSA reports:
Stretching half a mile along 15th Street between V and O Streets NW, a vibrant new mural called Rainbow Road now lines the protected bike lanes with a message as bright as its colors: Pride is for everyone.
Led by renowned muralist Lisa Marie Thalhammer and commissioned in partnership with the Capital Pride Alliance, this mural is believed to be one of the longest murals to feature LGBTQ+ artists, at 10,000-square-feet. The project features original designs by eight LGBTQ+ artists: Thalhammer, Maps Glover, Mundy Spears, Zeynep Uruc, Keyonna Jones, Nia Keturah Calhoun, Beezy and Micah Meyers.
“It gives this neighborhood so much spirit and joy,” Thalhammer told WUSA9. “It’s an awesome project. It’s one of the longest queer murals in the history of murals.”
The artist also claims that the rainbow paint will improve safety for bike riders.
“Safety is a very important element to this project,” Thalhammer said. “It brings visibility and also helps protect riders in the bike lane.”
Over 100 volunteers helped to paint the road over the weekend.
The Gateway Pundit has contacted D.C.’s Department of Transportation and the Capital Pride Alliance for information about the cost and will update this article if additional information is provided.
We have also submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the District Department of Transportation.
Read the full article here