Sponsors (5)
Official title: Require States to establish complete streets programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress June 4, 2025
The bill would substantially improve safety, accessibility, and equity by funding and requiring multimodal, accessible street designs, but does so at the cost of higher upfront project and administrative expenses, reduced short-term budget flexibility, and risks of delays or uneven implementation across communities.
People who walk, bike, use transit, or have mobility impairments (including older adults) will get safer, more accessible multimodal streets—better sidewalks, protected bike lanes, lighting/signals, and accessibility standards—on covered federal-aid projects.
Underserved, low-income, and historically disadvantaged neighborhoods are prioritized for funding and project selection, improving mobility equity and access to transportation options.
Public transit riders and commuters in transit-served areas will benefit from more integrated multimodal corridors and better first/last-mile connections.
State and local transportation funds and project flexibility are constrained—an annual set-aside requirement, higher upfront design/construction costs, and grant caps may divert money from other road priorities and make large reconstructions harder to finance.
New planning, design, and compliance requirements increase administrative burden and costs for states, MPOs, and local sponsors, and create more opportunities for disputes, appeals, or litigation that can delay projects.
Implementation may be uneven: smaller or rural projects can be excluded by thresholds and exemptions (or face long delays), creating equity gaps outside metro areas and leaving some communities behind.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Establishes a federal Complete Streets program, requires state programs and design standards, and mandates multimodal design on many federal-aid projects with specified deadlines and exemptions.
Creates a federal "Complete Streets" program that requires states to run competitive programs providing technical assistance and grants for designing and building streets that safely serve people who walk, bike, roll, ride transit, and drive. The Department of Transportation must issue design guidance within 180 days; states must have programs and competitive processes in place by specified deadlines and begin awarding grants soon after. Federal design standards will be mandatory for many new or large reconstruction projects in metropolitan areas with transit beginning two years after enactment, with statewide triggers and limited exemptions for certain highways, industrial areas, documented lack of need, ongoing projects, and emergencies.