Sponsors (11)
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Stephen Cohen · Last progress June 4, 2025
The bill channels federal funding, technical help, and stronger design standards to make streets safer, more accessible, and more equitable for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and people with disabilities — but it raises costs, requires states to reallocate funds, adds administrative burden, may constrain local flexibility, and may not immediately reach rural or low-density areas.
People who walk, bike, use transit, and people with disabilities across metropolitan and many local communities will get safer, more accessible streets (protected bike lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting, ADA-aligned features) reducing crash risk and improving access during planning, construction, and operation.
State DOTs, MPOs, and eligible local entities receive federal funding, technical assistance, clearer FHWA design guidance, published cost information, and measurable performance requirements to plan, budget, and deliver multimodal 'complete streets' more consistently.
Low-income communities, Tribal communities, and communities of color are prioritized in project selection so investments are more likely to target historically underserved areas.
State governments, taxpayers, and some highway programs will face higher costs because states must commit at least 5% of certain federal formula funds and projects may cost more when adding required protected lanes, sidewalks, lighting, and ADA features; MPO review costs also create new fiscal obligations.
Smaller local governments, nonprofits, and some project sponsors will face new administrative burdens (policy certification, prioritization plans, biennial inventories, exemption documentation, appeals processes) that increase staff time and compliance costs.
Uniform federal standards, prescriptive timelines, and more prescriptive design requirements could reduce state and local flexibility, slow project delivery while agencies revise policies, and create opportunities for appeals that delay work.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires states and MPOs to adopt complete-streets design standards, creates competitive grant programs, and phases mandatory multimodal features into many federally funded projects.
Creates a federal “complete streets” framework that requires states and metropolitan planning organizations to adopt design standards and set up competitive programs to plan, fund, and build streets that safely serve people walking, biking, driving, and using transit. The bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to publish benchmarks and specific design standards (including protected bike lanes, accessible sidewalks/crosswalks, and lighting/signals), sets phased deadlines for project compliance, allows limited exemptions, and requires reporting and appeals procedures.