Atlanta intersection closes as rainbow crosswalks installed

Rainbow crosswalks are being installed at Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street in Atlanta. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

Rainbow crosswalks are being installed at Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street in Atlanta. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

LGBT Pride Month ended Friday, but Atlanta crews are working this weekend on a project that will symbolize support for the local LGBTQ community year-round.

The intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street is closed for the installation of permanent rainbow crosswalks, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The intersection, which serves as a popular hub for the local LGBTQ community, is scheduled to reopen Monday.

Earlier this year, more than 20,000 people, including Atlanta mayoral candidate Ceasar Mitchell, signed a petition in support of the rainbow crosswalks.

Shortly thereafter, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed commemorated the anniversary of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando by announcing that the rainbow crosswalks would become a permanent fixture in Midtown.

The crosswalks first appeared during Pride festivities in 2015.

“I knew Atlanta being in the deep South and having a history of such divisions needed these crosswalks as symbols of acceptance, tolerance and the diversity of the LGBTQ community and its allies,” said Robert Sepulveda Jr., a former Atlanta resident who was involved with raising funds and installing the rainbow crosswalks in 2015.