Artificial ivy has been installed along the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles in an effort to stop vandalism on the walls, Caltrans said on Monday.
A pilot program to install the fake ivy began two weeks ago and is slated for completion this week, according to the agency. The artificial plants now line the walls of the 101 Freeway at Los Angeles Street, where Caltrans staff removed about 90% of graffiti that previously lined the walls.
“Due to a mural and related agreements at this location and several walls along U.S. 101 in downtown Los Angeles, Caltrans is not legally allowed to paint over or remove graffiti,” the agency said in a statement. “As a temporary measure, to protect the mural artworks, Caltrans has been installing artificial ivy, which has aesthetic benefits and acts as a graffiti deterrent and is a more environmentally friendly solution to graffiti removal.”
The fake ivy will stay in place until muralists are able to rework their art.
Planting artificial ivy along a different part of the freeway in November 2024 helped the agency curb vandalism. According to Caltrans, it spent more than $300,000 to remove more than 300,000 square feet of graffiti on the 101 Freeway in downtown LA in the past year.
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