Complete Streets: A Primer

Contents

• Introduction
• What Is a Complete Street?
• Goals and Considerations of Complete Streets
• Current Complete Streets Law and Funding
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
• Other Funding Sources
• Selected Recent Executive Actions
• Safety for All Users Report
• Moving to a Complete Streets Design Model Report
• National Roadway Safety Strategy
• Complete Streets Formula Grant Match Waivers

Summary

Complete streets is a multimodal approach to roadway design and safety that considers all users of transportation infrastructure. A street is considered complete if it facilitates the safe movement of users of all ages, abilities, and transportation modes. Additionally, some transportation agencies and researchers consider complete streets an approach that can assist communities in reaching safety, accessibility, equity, connectivity, mobility, and environmental goals.

Complete streets encompasses physical changes to roadways (e.g., dedicated bicycle and bus lanes) and sidewalks to specifically accommodate transit, pedestrians, and bicyclists alongside personal motor vehicles. Complete streets also emphasizes other changes, such as adding lighting, planters, trees, and benches, to improve the user experience of a street. The specific elements included in a complete streets design are context sensitive and vary from place to place, but the principles can be applied in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

Section 11206 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) required states and metropolitan planning organizations to fund the development of complete streets policies and complete streets prioritization plans through the Metropolitan Planning Program (23 U.S.C. §104(d)) and State Planning and Research Program (23 U.S.C. §505). The IIJA authorized related discretionary grant programs including Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) and the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program.

The IIJA was the first law to establish requirements for complete streets standards and policies. There have been other efforts from the executive and legislative branches. For example, since 2017, the Department of Transportation has identified complete streets as a tool to improve roadway safety in the Safety for All Users Report, the Moving to a Complete Streets Design Model report, and the National Roadway Safety Strategy. Between the 109^th and 119^th Congresses (as of August 5, 2026), at least 19 bills related to complete streets have been introduced, including House and Senate companion bills.

On May 19, 2026, a surface transportation reauthorization bill—the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250^th Act (BUILD America 250 Act)—was introduced in the House (H.R. 8870). The bill was marked up by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and ordered to be reported on May 22, 2026. The bill addresses complete streets activities such as funding for Safe Streets and Roads for All (§1119) and the use of the Surface Transportation Block Grant funding as the nonfederal share for complete streets prioritization plans (§1112). Issues relating to and funding for complete streets may be addressed in debates on H.R. 8870, through other legislation, or as part of committee oversight.

Introduction

Complete streets is a multimodal and multiuser approach to transportation planning and implementation of public road infrastructure.¹ The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58), enacted in November 2021, defined complete streets standards or policies as measures that "ensure the safe and adequate accommodation of all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, children, older individuals, individuals with disabilities, motorists, and freight vehicles."² The IIJA was the first federal legislation to define the term complete streets standards or policies.

This report provides an overview of the concept of complete streets. The report first explains the elements of complete streets in urban and rural settings, then outlines the goals and considerations of complete streets policy. It also discusses the history of executive actions related to complete streets and contains an Appendix A identifying complete streets-related bills introduced from the 109^th to the 119^th Congresses (as of August 5, 2026).

What Is a Complete Street?

A complete streets approach encompasses various physical design elements, including travel lanes for motor vehicles and for users other than cars and trucks. Such elements may include, among other things, dedicated bicycle and bus lanes, sidewalks, mid-block pedestrian crossings, traffic calming treatments, and street trees.³ Complete streets designs are based on context-specific budget, location, and community goals. Figure 1 and Figure 2 provide visual examples of complete streets in urban and rural settings.⁴

Figure 1. Example of a Complete Street in an Urban Setting

Source: National Association for City Transportation Officials, "Streets: Streets Design Principles," in Urban Street Design Guide (Island Press, 2013), p. 6.

Figure 1 illustrates possible elements of a complete street in an urban setting, including dedicated bus and bicycle lanes, on-street parking, pedestrian- and vehicle-oriented street lighting, shade trees, benches, and curb ramps, among other features. This example shows how low-cost interventions, such as pavement striping, can delineate boundaries of physical design elements (e.g., where hatched marking separates the on-street parking from the bike lane).⁵ Pavement striping could be used to analyze effectiveness prior to a more permanent and expensive installation, such as flex posts or cement planter barriers.⁶

Figure 2. Example of a Complete Street Cross Section in a Rural Setting

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Complete Streets Transformations: Six Scenarios to Transform Arterials Using a Complete Streets Implementation Strategy, February 25, 2022, p. 15, https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-02/2022_CS_Transformations_Doc_508.pdf.

Figure 2 illustrates a complete street design that might be appropriate in a small town and rural context. This street design includes lanes for cars, on-street parking on each side, sidewalks wide enough for people using mobility devices, and shade trees.⁷ For some communities, the challenge in implementing complete streets is identifying ways to incorporate space for pedestrians that separates them from vehicles.⁸ In this case, the design of this street could be considered complete due to the presence of safe, accessible sidewalks for pedestrians of all abilities.

Goals and Considerations of Complete Streets

The core goal of complete streets is to improve the safety of all roadway users, especially bicyclists and pedestrians.⁹ The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has identified other goals of complete streets, including accessibility, equity, and connectivity.¹⁰ Researchers have identified improving mobility and mitigating environmental impacts as additional goals.¹¹ Explanations of how complete streets could achieve these goals are provided below.

• Safety: Change roadway design to impact user behavior. For example, reconfiguring roadways with traffic calming techniques can reduce both motorists' speeds and roadway crossing distance for pedestrians and bicyclists. These changes can lead to decreased crash risk and severity.¹²
• Accessibility: Remove barriers of access to transportation. For example, adding curb ramps and ensuring sidewalk infrastructure does not have obstructions (e.g., fire hydrants) could remove barriers of access for assistive-mobility users.¹³
• Equity: Provide transportation options across race, gender, age, ability, or class. For example, adding sidewalks may be an equitable solution for a community that has a high number of zero-car households and a high number of pedestrians.¹⁴
• Connectivity: Improve routes to destinations. For example, installing sidewalks that connect frequented locations in a neighborhood can provide protected routes for pedestrians to travel to multiple local businesses.¹⁵
• Mobility: Ensure users of all modes are able to move around easily. For example, installing traffic signals can create safer opportunities for pedestrians to cross vehicular traffic.¹⁶
• Environment: Incorporate environmentally conscious elements in roadway designs. For example, installing street trees along a road can absorb rainfall.¹⁷

There are opportunities and challenges associated with each of these goals. Table 1 identifies examples of these opportunities and challenges.

Current Complete Streets Law and Funding

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Section 11206 of the IIJA required states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to adopt complete streets policies and develop complete streets prioritization plans. The IIJA set aside an estimated $93 million from the highway formula grant programs for these purposes.¹⁸

Section 11206 of the IIJA addressed complete streets in five subsections:

• (a) Definition of Complete Streets Standards or Policies
• (b) Funding Requirement
• (c) Activities Described (This section describes planning activities eligible for funds in subsection (b).)
• (d) Federal Share
• (e) State Flexibility (This section provides states with flexibility to opt out of subsection (b).)

Section 11206(b) contained a complete streets funding set-aside. It required both states and MPOs to spend no less than the 2.5% of funding for State Planning and Research (Title 23, §505, of the U.S. Code) and no less than the 2.5% of funding for Metropolitan Planning (Title 23, §104(d), of the U.S. Code) to carry out activities as described in Section 11206(c) until the Department of Transportation (DOT) certified that the requirements under both provisions were met. When the requirements were met, states and MPOs were no longer required to spend funds on complete streets. In the IIJA, funding for complete streets derived from federal funds directed toward both states and MPOs.¹⁹

Funds for MPOs under Title 23, Section 104(d), of the U.S. Code were provided as contract authority and distributed to the states.²⁰ Under Title 23, Section 104(d)(2), of the U.S. Code, each state was required to create a formula for distributing the funds to its MPOs; the formula required approval by DOT. States may have had to change their formulas in accordance with the set-aside requirement of IIJA Section 11206.

Among other options, Congress may consider seeking analysis of the benefits and challenges for states to change their formulas and the impact, if any, on achievement of the complete streets requirement. For instance, Congress could direct DOT, the Government Accountability Office, or another entity to study the impact of IIJA Section 11206 on state formula structures and administration processes for Metropolitan Planning funding. More generally, the implementation of requirements in the IIJA might help inform congressional deliberations on the type and extent of additional actions and programs, if any, that might be beneficial and the advisability of amendment or repeal of current programs or requirements. To that end, Congress may request updates from DOT on the progress of complete streets adoption nationwide.

Other Funding Sources

In addition to IIJA Section 11206, which designated funding specifically for complete streets policies and planning, other programs in the IIJA have supported complete streets goals. Such programs included two discretionary grant programs: Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) and Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program.²¹ From FY2022 through FY2026, SS4A made available a total of $5 billion, and the Reconnecting Communities program made available a total of $1 billion.²² Complete streets projects and activities also were eligible under many of the eight Federal-Aid Highway Programs, including the Surface Transportation Block Program; Highway Safety Improvement Program; Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program; Carbon Reduction Program; and Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Formula Program. Funds under these programs have some transferability between programs, which allows for the customization of funding to accomplish safety goals associated with complete streets. FHWA has prepared guidance on the formula and discretionary federal funding sources that can be used to support complete streets projects.²³ SS4A and the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) Program are addressed by provisions of H.R. 8870, a surface transportation reauthorization bill, as ordered to be reported on May 22, 2026. Funding for SS4A is addressed in Section 1119, and the use of STBG funding as the nonfederal share for complete streets prioritization plans is addressed in Section 1112. Other related issues and programs might be addressed during consideration of H.R. 8870.

Selected Recent Executive Actions

Since 2017, several actions by DOT have supported state and local agencies' development of complete streets policies and plans, including the actions listed below.

Safety for All Users Report

In December 2017, DOT published the Safety for All Users Report, pursuant to requirements of Section 1442 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act; P.L. 114-94) and based on Senate committee guidance in S.Rept. 114-243.²⁴ In the Safety for All Users Report, DOT described policies and programs that promote safety for all users, including complete streets policies as a recommended tool. DOT declared in the report that complete streets would become part of subsequent policy initiatives.

Moving to a Complete Streets Design Model Report

In March 2022, FHWA issued a report to Congress entitled Moving to a Complete Streets Design Model. The agency cited this report as a response to House committee guidance in H.Rept. 116-452, for DOT to adopt a complete streets design model for non-access-controlled roadways.²⁵ Such roadways comprise nearly 94% of the Federal-Aid Highways System's mileage.²⁶ The FHWA report indicated that DOT could provide guidance on the statutory requirement to consider all modes of transportation found throughout federal standards for infrastructure planning and design. The FHWA report suggested that proactive guidance and technical support from DOT could help state leadership and practitioners, MPOs, and local agencies adopt complete streets principles.

National Roadway Safety Strategy

In January 2022, DOT released a National Roadway Safety Strategy outlining its approach to eliminating roadway deaths.²⁷ As part of the strategy, DOT adopted the Safe Systems Approach to roadway design. The approach has five objectives: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and post-crash care. A comprehensive Complete Streets Initiative is described as one of six key actions to achieve the safer roads objective. For the Complete Streets Initiative, DOT committed to providing technical assistance to communities, incorporating complete streets criteria in federal grant opportunities, incorporating lighting in roadway upgrades, and involving transit providers in complete streets implementation.

Complete Streets Formula Grant Match Waivers

On January 5, 2023, FHWA published a memorandum approving a waiver of the nonfederal match requirement of the funding described in Section 11206(d) of P.L. 117-58.²⁸ Thus, states and MPOs would not have to contribute local dollars to meet the complete streets funding requirement described in Section 11206(d) of P.L. 117-58. On March 10, 2023, the Federal Transit Administration approved a waiver of the nonfederal match for the Metropolitan Planning Program (PL) and State Planning and Research (SPR) Program funding (Title 49, §5305, of the U.S. Code) for complete streets planning activities for each fiscal year under Section 11206(d) of P.L. 117-58.²⁹ On August 13, 2024, FHWA published a memorandum approving a waiver of the nonfederal match requirement to all Complete Streets planning activities funded with SPR and PL funds made available by P.L. 117-58 that are obligated and expended after January 5, 2023.³⁰

Appendix A. Complete Streets-Related Bills

Footnotes