'Black Austin Matters' Written On Key Downtown Austin Street

AUSTIN, TX — In case the message was lost on some, the message that "Black Austin Matters" was being painted in large, yellow letters on a key downtown road Tuesday.

Austin Transportation Department crews started writing the large-lettered message on Congress Avenue between 6th and 9th streets downtown early Tuesday morning. In a tweet, department officials categorized the key road as something of a canvas for the important missive.

“Congress Avenue is a canvas of our city,” officials wrote on Twitter. “From marathons to marches, stories are made here. Some don’t have the chance to tell their stories, so this morning we have them the canvas.”

Teaming up with the Austin Transportation Department in painting the roadway were crews from Capitol View Arts and the Austin Justice Coalition. The groups also coordinated the painting of a related mural 11th Street between Waller and Lydia streets.

To accommodate the project, the Transportation Department closed the street at around 5 a.m. The roadway isn't expected to reopen to traffic until 7 p.m.