Benefits and Impacts of Complete Streets

Complete Streets (CS) is an approach for planning and designing streets that enables safety and mobility for all roadway users, i.e., pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders. CS policies can assist agencies at all levels in redefining their decision-making processes regarding multimodal transportation needs by creating vital strategies. Since the initial development of the CS concept in the early 2000’s, more than 1,700 agencies have implemented such policies in the USA. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) recently developed the Complete Streets, Roads, and Highways Manual aiming to enhance a safe and equitable transportation system throughout the state. This generated the need to develop a methodology or a tool to evaluate and assess the potential benefits of CS projects. The primary objective of this study is to outline the potential benefits associated with the implementation of CS and develop an assessment framework. For this purpose, two literature reviews are conducted. The first focused on CS policies and the second on potential benefits from CS projects. The findings of these reviews allowed for the development of an assessment framework that KYTC can use to identify potential impacts and benefits of CS projects. These findings can serve as valuable insights for transportation agencies, aiding them in prioritizing CS projects. Future tasks will develop a comprehensive assessment tool to further facilitate decision-making and implementation.