Sponsors (11)
The bill directs federal funding, technical assistance, and binding design requirements to make streets safer, more accessible, and more equitable for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and people with disabilities, but it raises costs, adds administrative burdens, may slow some projects, and limits flexibility—especially for small or rural jurisdictions.
Pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, people with disabilities, and many urban/suburban travelers will get safer, more accessible multimodal streets via federal funding, technical assistance, required design standards, and retrofit requirements (sidewalks, protected bike lanes, crosswalks, lighting, ADA-aligned features) that apply during planning, construction, and operation.
Low-income communities, Tribal communities, and communities of color receive prioritized consideration for project selection, directing investments to historically underserved areas.
State DOTs, MPOs, and local agencies gain clearer, standardized federal guidance, certification requirements, performance measures, cost charts, and inventories that improve planning, budgeting, accountability, and consistency across jurisdictions.
Taxpayers, state and local budgets, and other highway programs will face higher costs or be required to reallocate funds because the bill requires minimum spending on complete-streets elements and mandates added facilities (protected lanes, sidewalks, lighting) that raise project costs.
Small local governments, nonprofits, and smaller MPOs will face new administrative and fiscal burdens to develop certified policies, prioritization plans, biennial inventories, exemption documentation, and appeals processes, straining limited staff and budgets.
Project sponsors, transportation workers, and the traveling public could experience delays or slower project delivery while agencies update standards, resolve appeals, or determine applicability, especially for high-cost or contested projects.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a federal complete streets program, requires State/MPO design standards, and phases in mandatory multimodal design elements on many Federal-aid projects.
Official title: To require States to establish complete streets programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Stephen Cohen · Last progress June 4, 2025
Creates a federal "complete streets" program and new national design rules to ensure road projects planned, funded, or approved with Federal-aid accommodate people walking, bicycling, using transit, and driving — with special attention to safety, accessibility, and equity. The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue benchmarks and design standards quickly, requires States and MPOs to adopt multimodal design standards, and phases in mandatory complete-streets elements on many Federally funded surface transportation projects within specified timelines and with limited exemptions.