Graffiti News

The approval allows the underpass project to proceed

Christina Donahoe has received clearance to move forward with a mural at a Route 22 underpass in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, nearly three years after proposing the work. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, known as PennDOT, executed the mural agreement in mid-March 2026 and issued notice to proceed on April 15. The site is near the Cozy Inn Cut-Off and the Westmoreland Heritage Trail.

The distinction for anyone following the project is that permission has been granted; the report does not announce a finished mural. It gives no completion date or public unveiling schedule. For a trail user hoping to see the artwork, the location identifies a project to follow, while the approval marks an administrative step toward its realization.

Personal attacks prompted the proposal

Donahoe proposed the mural after finding messages targeting another person among the underpass graffiti. An Export native living in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, she encountered the markings during a visit home. A girl's name and an explicit message drew her attention, and she said closer inspection revealed more of the same.

Her position makes the dispute more specific than a general objection to graffiti. Donahoe recognizes artistic value in work made with creative intent, while acknowledging that unauthorized painting is illegal. She also understands that some people regard the underpass as a place for expression. She told the newspaper she was aware of criticism on social media, including from graffiti artists and people who appreciate their work.

The artist drew a distinction between that creative use of a wall and hateful, violent or explicit messages aimed at an individual. Her stated purpose is to remove a setting for personal harassment. For people who follow street art, that distinction matters: replacing existing marks raises questions about whose expression remains visible, even when the proposed replacement has formal approval. The reported criticism and the artist's explanation belong together in understanding the project.

PennDOT standardized its review around safety

PennDOT's review of its art approval process centered on protecting artists and motorists, spokesperson Emily Stambaugh told the newspaper. She said the agency was not aware of traffic accidents associated with mural installations. The review therefore should not be read as evidence that this project, or an earlier mural, caused a crash.

The department introduced standardized guidelines and review steps to replace what had been a relatively informal process. Stambaugh also described consistency across the agency's districts as a reason for the changes. The project returned to a path toward execution after that work on the approval process.

Donahoe submitted a final rendering for PennDOT's approval but did not disclose its exact details to the newspaper. Readers can identify the intended audience and the artist's broad approach, but the report does not establish specific imagery, colors or a finished appearance. The approval story concerns the conditions for making public art as much as the artwork itself.

The design takes its cue from trail users

Donahoe wants the mural to continue the experience of people spending time in nature along the trail. She described trail users as the audience guiding the design. The connection builds on an earlier local work: in 2022, she painted a large mural on the Export Floral building facing the Westmoreland Heritage Trail. She proposed the underpass project as a larger undertaking.

The artist estimated her cost at about $9,070 and said she had already saved the money to carry it out. In 2023, she had been seeking donors whose names could be incorporated into the design. She no longer considered that approach workable under the new approval process. A GoFundMe offered a way for people to contribute toward her costs.

An anti-graffiti clear coat is planned after completion to make new markings less likely to adhere. That is a planned treatment, not a guarantee about the mural's future condition. For visitors, the source provides the underpass and trail landmarks but no detailed access instructions. The useful perspective is to follow how a road structure beside a recreational route becomes a surface designed for the people passing through. Explore other street-art locations on the Wallscape map.

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review