Tacoma will soon get a $35K Pride-themed crosswalk downtown. Here’s what to expect
Downtown Tacoma is set to get a pop of color after city leaders gave the green light to a new Pride-themed crosswalk.
The Tacoma City Council on Tuesday approved spending $35,000 on the decorative-crosswalk project. Council member Olgy Diaz spearheaded the effort, one that’s personally meaningful to her as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The crosswalk will act to lift spirits, she told The News Tribune ahead of the Oct. 15 council meeting. It comes at a time of book bannings, a time when LGBTQ+ people — especially trans Black women — are getting targeted for being who they are, Diaz added.
“I think part of this is about making sure that people can see in a real, concrete, infrastructure-way that Tacoma cares about our community and is in solidarity,” she said.
Where is the Pride crosswalk going?
The crosswalk will appear on Broadway between 9th and 11th streets, which also acts as the site of the downtown farmers market. The location is close to theaters, schools, transit centers, art and public green space.
With the new crosswalk, the city aims to foster a welcoming space for all those who visit downtown, including residents, tourists and workers, as noted in an Oct. 15 release.
For Diaz, the crosswalk’s pedestrian-friendly location is ideal.
“[T]hat street is closed so often for the farmers market that people actually have a chance to take photos with it,” she told The News Tribune. “Because I think a lot of times people like to take their ‘Abbey Road’ photo with a decorative crosswalk. That’s kind of half of the fun.”
Council member Kristina Walker, former executive director of the transportation-focused nonprofit Downtown on the Go, believes it demonstrates Tacoma’s dedication to inclusiveness.
“I’m delighted that Tacoma is finally showing its commitment in this way,” Walker continued in the city’s news release. “I can’t wait for everyone to come downtown to enjoy the crosswalk when it is installed, get their photo with it, and use it as an opportunity to foster dialogue and love in our city.”
Not everyone on the City Council voted in favor of the crosswalk. Council member Jamika Scott was the lone “no” vote at the Oct. 15 meeting.
In an emailed statement to The News Tribune, Scott called her support for the LGBTQ+ community “unwavering.” However, she said she isn’t convinced that this crosswalk — priced up to $35,000 — is the best way to express such support.
Scott thinks that, before approving the project, the city should have communicated more with queer and questioning residents, advocates and leaders about their priorities and needs — especially when it comes to subjects like healthcare and in-crisis youth.
She also expressed concerns about the accompanying proposal to launch a decorate-crosswalk program citywide, citing associated costs.
“I believe that if we cannot truly offer this service to all in our community, it does not seem fair to me that we do it for one,” Scott said. “I believe that we need to focus on re-striping our current sidewalks, many of which are faded, to ensure the safety of our pedestrians, especially for young people near schools.”
When will the crosswalk be installed?
The city aims to have the decorative crosswalk completed ahead of July 2025 when Tacoma celebrates Pride month, Diaz said.
Before voting “yes” at Tuesday’s meeting, Council member Sandesh Sadalge asked about the dollar amount. Isn’t $35,000 pretty high?
Public Works director Ramiro Chavez took the floor to answer council members’ questions.
“This is a brand-new build for the city of Tacoma, so there [are] a lot of unknowns,” Chavez said, replying to Sadalge’s inquiry. “The estimate that we prepared has a lot of contingencies with it.”
The city had to consider multiple factors, Chavez said, including the durability of materials used in the crosswalk — think: plastic instead of paint — and the need for contract work.
Mayor Victoria Woodards pointed out that although up to $35,000 is available, the project won’t necessarily require that entire amount. The money is coming from council-contingency funds, which are used for one-time projects that wouldn’t otherwise receive financial backing, she added.
Progress Pride crosswalk’s significance
Diaz told The News Tribune that residents have long requested such a crosswalk. Other cities, such as Seattle and Olympia, have unveiled their own rainbow crossings, so she’s glad that Tacoma will soon follow suit.
The design for the work has not yet been completed. Diaz wants to see at least a traditional rainbow if not the Progress Pride flag, which adds additional hues — brown, black, pink and light blue — to honor transgender people and communities of color.
Diaz hopes that this crosswalk will be the first of many to come, be it additional Pride markings or other types of honorary-themed designs. They’re a great way to promote economic development while also uplifting marginalized communities, she said.
This project will serve to acknowledge LGBTQ+ folks in the city’s public spaces, she added: “I think it’s a good reaffirming in a world where we don’t know if it’s going to be safe to be who you are that day.”
