Caltrans Replaces Decades-Old Freeway Murals

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Four massive freeway murals, ravaged by graffiti and time, have been restored and will be formally unveiled to motorists on Monday.

Caltrans and L.A. Metro teamed up to replace the old paint-on-concrete-wall artworks with new fabric versions of the murals, according to officials.

The artworks, first painted for the 1984 Olympics, became part of Southern California's freeway landscape. They include George Sportelli's "Tony Curtis," Ruben Soto's "I Know Who I Am," Frank Romero's "Going to the Olympics" and John Wehrle's "Galileo, Jupiter and Apollo."

Duplicate murals have been made just in case and according to Metro officials, can be changed and reinstalled with minimal traffic disruption.

The artworks were installed last week on the Santa Ana and Hollywood (101) and Harbor (110) freeways, but are to be formally unveiled Monday.

The restoration has mostly been funded by a grant from Wells Fargo Bank.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)