Ten rainbow crosswalks are set to come to Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood, the historic heart of the city's LGBTQ scene.

The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the crosswalk project as a small part of $1.4 million in street improvements on Cedar Springs Road between Douglas and Oak Lawn avenues.

But the colorful walkways will send a big message, said council member Omar Narvaez, who is openly gay.

"We will be showing not just the residents of Dallas but the entire world that the city of Dallas is a welcoming community," he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Adam Medrano, who represents Oak Lawn, said the street improvements also will include a gateway monument that identifies the neighborhood with rainbow lights.

Cedar Springs has long served as the city's safe space for LGBTQ residents. Until this year, the road was home to the city's pride parade.

A digital rendering shows plans for rainbow crosswalks, this one at the corner of Cedar Springs Road and Throckmorton Street in the Cedar Springs neighborhood of Dallas. (Photo illustration / Dallas Crosswalk Project)

But Oak Lawn also has been on edge in recent years following assaults that have been alleged to be hate crimes. Medrano said the crosswalks could help make residents in the neighborhood feel safer.

The enhanced intersections also follow the lead of other Texas cities — Houston, San Antonio and Galveston — that installed their own rainbow crosswalks in the past two years.

Chris Luna, who in the 1990s was one of the first openly gay Dallas council members, said city officials have considered the move for years. He said the project was complicated because it required coordination among three city departments: the Department of Transportation, which oversees traffic, the Bond Program Office that finances the project, and Public Works to approve street construction.

The "tipping point" this year, Luna said, came after other cities installed rainbow crosswalks.

"If all these other cities can do it, why can't we?" Luna said.

The crosswalks will cost $128,000. Luna said he didn't believe the city would pay for the rainbow crosswalks, so he went out to raise the money through private donations.

Luna and the GLBT Chamber of Commerce Foundation have raised about $70,000 in six weeks, and he's confident they can get the money. On top of that, he wants to raise an additional $30,000 for ongoing maintenance.

The rest of the money for the street improvements will come from funding approved in the 2012 bond package.

The construction is slated to begin in September and expected to finish by next March, Luna said.

The crosswalks will be at intersections with Cedar Springs: one at Oak Lawn, two at Reagan Street, four at Throckmorton Street, two at Knight Street, and one at Douglas Avenue.

"I really think that it's a sign of community and belonging that people will relate to," Luna said. "It also designates this as a safe space."