This session will provide an update on the MassDOT Complete Streets program and the project types funded to-date. Panelists will discuss their experiences with the Complete Streets program, from developing a Complete Streets Policy (Tier 1), to creating a Prioritization Plan (Tier 2), and finally selecting a project for construction (Tier 3).

1. A Multi-phased Approach
to Complete Streets in
Massachusetts
Presented by
Lou Rabito, P.E.
Manager of Complete Streets
Jim Czach, P.E.
West Springfield Town Engineer
Michelle Chase, P.E.
Agawam Town Engineer
Lisa Pearson
Salisbury Planning Director
June 15th , 2017

2. 1. Program History and Program Update
2. Town of West Springfield – Tier 1: Getting a
Complete Streets Policy Passed
3. Town of Agawam– Tier 2: Developing a Complete
Streets Prioritization Plan
4. Town of Salisbury – Tier 3: Getting Construction
Project Funding
Complete Streets

3.  The MassDOT Complete Streets Funding
Program was created as part of the 2014
Transportation Bond Bill
 $12.5M of funding for FY 17 was provided from
casino funds
 $50M Funded through its Capital Investment
Plan for 5 years (2018-2022)
 Encourages municipalities to adopt a strategic
and comprehensive approach to Complete
Streets
 Facilitates better pedestrian, bicycle, and
transit travel for users of all ages as well as
improving safety for all modes
 Supports Equity Rule (33%)
Program History

4.  In 2015, MassDOT in the spirit of the bond bill language and with
extensive municipal outreach created the program;
the Complete Streets Funding Program was released in
February of 2016
 The program framework
includes:
• Complete Streets
Training
• 3 Tier Program
• On-line Portal
Program History

5. PROGRAM UPDATE
Program Participation: June 2017
APRIL 2016
June 2016

6. Tier 3 Project Funding
(Round 1 FY 2017)
• 11 Projects totaling $4.4M
Tier 3 Project Funding
(Round 2 FY 2017)
• 15 Projects totaling $5.5M
Tier 2 Prioritization Plan Funds
(FY 2017)
• 60 Municipalities given Technical
Assistance for their Prioritization
Plans, totaling $2.6M
PROGRAM UPDATE
Funding to Date

7. PROGRAM UPDATE
Safety Benefits of Complete Streets
Interventions to reduce pedestrian
crashes:
 Sidewalks - 88% (FHWA)
 Shoulders - 71% (FDOT)
Interventions to reduce crashes:
 Medians - 40% (NCHRP)
 Road diets - 8 – 49% (ITE)
 Countdown signals - 25% (FHWA)

8. PROGRAM UPDATE
ADA Benefits of Complete Streets
• 18.7% of Americans have some
type of disability that limits their
daily activities (including physical,
visual, and hearing impairments).
• Complete Streets feature curb cuts,
high visibility crosswalks, and other
designs for travelers with
disabilities.
• Complete Streets reduce isolation
and dependence.

9. PROGRAM UPDATE
Economic Benefits of Complete Streets
• Investment in a community’s walkability typically
increases land value 70-300%.
• Above-average Neighborhood Walk Score translates into
improved local economy.
• About $4,000-$34,000 higher real estate
• Retail sales increase by 30%
• About $4,000 - $34,000 higher real estate sales prices by
30%
~ Healthier Communities Through Design, American Institute of Architects (AIA)

10. PROGRAM UPDATE
Transit, Equity and Health Benefits of Complete Streets
 Low and moderate income families
spend a higher percentage of income
on transportation (Roughly 30% vs.
20% for all families).
 Complete Streets give everybody
more control over their expenses and
opportunities to exercise by replacing
car travel with options like walking,
riding bikes, and taking public
transportation.
 Number of transport modes are
positively associated with being an
active commuter and with meeting
recommendations for physical activity.

11. PROGRAM UPDATE
Eligible Complete Streets Infrastructure

12. PROGRAM UPDATE
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
 Ten Key Policy Elements
 MassDOT provides guidance, however
allows for flexibility in the specific language
and commitment level
 Adopted policies are scored based
on their stated level of commitment
 Scoring done by a 5 member panel from
DPH, EOEEA, MMA, & MassDOT
 Policies must achieve 80/100 possible
points or above to be eligible
for funding
MassDOT Guidance
adapted from Smart
Growth America

13. PROGRAM UPDATE
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
 Model Policy – Ten Elements

14. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
 Model Policy – Ten Elements
“The Town of West Springfield recognizes that all projects, new,
maintenance, or reconstruction, are potential opportunities to
apply Complete Streets design principles.”

15. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
 Model Policy – Ten Elements
“Complete Streets are designed and operated to provide safety and
accessibility for all users of our roadways, trails, and transit
systems, …and for people of all ages and of all abilities.”

16. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
 Model Policy – Ten Elements
“Complete Streets will be integrated into policies, planning, and design of
all types of public and private projects, including new construction,
reconstruction, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance of transportation
facilities on streets and redevelopment projects.”
“In the fulfillment of the goals of this Complete Streets Ordinance, the
Town will follow the latest design manuals, standards and guidelines.”

17. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
 Model Policy – Ten Elements
“A committee of relevant stakeholders designated by the Mayor
will be created as an advisory body to assist in overseeing the
implementation of this initiative.”

18. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
LEGISLATION

19. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT

20. TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy

21. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
COOPERATIVE EFFORT

22. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

23. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

24. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy
COMPLETE STREETS
PROJECT UNDER DESIGN

25. TOWN OF WEST SPRINGFIELD
Tier 1: Complete Street Policy

26.  Municipalities enter Tier 2 - Development of a
Prioritization Plan if they have attended training and:
• Option 1
• Have an eligible policy (>80), and
• Have an existing CS Prioritization Plan that they want to
submit for review.
• Option 2
• Have an eligible policy (>80), and
• Want to request Technical Assistance (up to $50k) to develop
their CS Prioritization Plan.
• Option 3
• Commit to adopting a policy (through letter of commitment to
MassDOT), and
• Want to request Technical Assistance (up to $50k) to
develop their CS Prioritization Plan.
TOWN OF AGAWAM
Tier 2: Prioritization Plan

27. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Agawam - Background
 About 28,000 people and 150 miles of
roads.
 Home to: Six Flags – New England,
Robinson State Park.
 Challenges:
• Bordered by Provin Mountain,
Connecticut and Westfield Rivers which
limits connectivity to neighboring
municipalities.
• Suburban Community – many
subdivisions and single family homes.
• Scattered businesses developments
with no established downtown area.
• Vehicle oriented community.
• Complete Streets learning curve.
• Backlog of sidewalk/road maintenance.

28. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Becoming a Complete Streets Town
 Agawam River Walk was
built in the 1990’s.
 First bike lane installed in
2013 on Suffield Street.
 Currently have about 4
miles of on-street bike
lanes.
 Elected Officials,
Employees, Residents
warming to Complete
Streets Program.
 Adopted Complete Streets
Policy unanimously in
February 2016.
Suffield Street – Agawam

29. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Creating Our Plan: Good Data is Essential!
 Learned about latest Bike and Ped
Accommodations:
• NACTO, MassDOT Separated Bike Lane
Planning & Design Guide, etc.
 Local and Regional Bike and Ped Plans, Open
Space Plans, Town Master Plans
 Strava Heatmap - a useful online tool to
recognize existing routes for runners and cyclists.

30.  Printed a blank street map and
started locating existing and
proposed Complete Streets
ideas.
 Located:
• Points of Interest: schools,
medical facilities, town offices,
downtown districts, parks, etc.
• Priority Streets
• Possible Bike/Ped Connections
between dead end streets
• Potential Multi-use Path
Corridors (water, electric, paper
streets, etc.)
• Proposed Local and State
Projects
• Connections to other
municipalities and regional
multi-use trails
TOWN OF AGAWAM
Where did we begin?

31. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Consultant Selection and Project Goals
 The MassDOT program can be complex
at times. Our Consultant needed to have:
• Experience with the Program, Portal and
be up-to-date with the evolving rules and
deadlines.
• Knowledge in Complete Streets design
considerations to ensure proposed
projects were feasible and context
sensitive.
• Familiar with Agawam and its needs.
 We wanted a comprehensive look at the
town as a whole.
 We needed to have a “living document”:
• Include all digital files to enable future in-
house updating.

32. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Initial Stakeholder Meeting
Photos by: Turley Publications photos by Michael J. Ballway – Agawam Advertiser News
 Educated public and town
officials about the Complete
Streets Program.
 Collected feedback.

33. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Additional Stakeholder Input & Public Outreach
 WikiMAP:
• Online and user-friendly data
collection.
• Collected concerns and project ideas.
• Multiple comments from one user was
determined and processed into the
Prioritization Plan appropriately.
 Solicited Feedback Online:
• E-mail, website, social media.
 Coordination:
• DPW
• Planning
• Engineering
• Parks and Recreation
• Schools
• Police/Fire
• Other municipalities

34. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Criteria Used in Project Prioritization Scoring
 Network Connection
 Highest Adjacent Bike/Ped Latent
Demand
 Transit Demand
 Number of POI
• Within bicycling/walking distance
 Number of Bike/Ped Crashes
• Within short distance
 Existing BLOC (Bicycle Level of
Comfort)
• Peter Firth’s Study
 Existing PLOC (Pedestrian Level of
Comfort)
• Howard Stein Hudson Study
 Proposed Changes Bike/Ped
Comfort
 Stakeholder Input
 Signalized Intersection Ped Delay
 Crossing Improvements
 Number of Environmental Justice
Census Block Groups
• Within walking distance
 Assisted Living Facilities
• Within walking distance
 Disability Percentiles Blocks
• Within walking distance
 School Zones
• Within a child’s walking distance
 School Bus Stops
We were able to personalize and weigh different criteria which was put
into a GIS database and scored using several excel spreadsheets:

35. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Pedestrian and Bicycle Reported Crashes

36. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Pedestrian Level of Comfort
 Pedestrian friendly
in most residential
areas, but less
friendly
accommodations in
some industrial
zones and near
major highways.
 The facilities
analysis included
criteria such as
sidewalk width,
pinch points,
condition, buffers,
continuity, and
grade separation.

37. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Sidewalk Condition

38. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Average Pedestrian Delay
 Higher wait times lead to higher noncompliance and safety issues.

39. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Pedestrian Latent Demand
 We used this
information to
locate the areas
where POI clusters
were.
 Prioritization was
given to areas and
projects with a
higher count of
POIs within these
ranges
 ¼ mile and ½ mile
distances

40. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Bicycle Level of Comfort
* Data and image based on Roger Geller’s findings
 This tool highlights areas of the town that are disconnected not necessarily
by a lack of bicycle facilities but by a lack of comfortable routes.

41. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Bicycle Latent Demand
 We used this
information to
locate the areas
where POI clusters
were.
 Prioritization was
given to areas and
projects with a
higher count of
POIs within these
ranges
 ½ mile and 1 mile
distances

42. TOWN OF AGAWAM
PVTA Transit Demand: Average Ons and Offs - 2016

43. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Equity - Disabilities and Environmental Justice
 The prioritization process takes into
account areas with higher rates of
residents with disabilities as well as
environmental justice factors.

44. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Equity – School Walk Zones
 Data gathered
through
coordination with
the School
Department.
 Enabled us to find
gaps in the
sidewalk network.
 Prioritized projects
within the existing
and potential walk
zone.

45. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Tier 2: Prioritization Plan (Revised March 31, 2016)
 Required CS Prioritization Plan format by MassDOT
 150+ Projects – 94 years - $56.6 Million (without inflation)

46. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Project Coordination
 Prioritization Plan Criteria suggests an order in which projects
should be constructed, but next we needed to determine how to
apply those scores.
 Other factors in play and restrictions:
• Coordinating with Chapter 90 work (existing road conditions)
• Upcoming TIP, Private, and State projects.
• Water, sewer, drainage, gas, and other proposed utility work.
• Right of Way limitations, design effort, permitting
• Budget
 Fairness to all residents and business owners:
• Distribution among different areas in town – certain areas score higher
than others, but we need to make sure we don’t neglect neighborhoods.
• Points of interest and how to get to them – schools, parks, etc.
• Scoring helps us choose the best project for each area or destination.
• HMA sidewalk maintenance vs. new concrete sidewalk construction.

47. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Future Plans and Concerns
Future use:
 Digital copies of all GIS, Excel, Word docs, will enable us to update our
plan based on completed work and new projects.
 Plan to create Annual Complete Streets Reports to analyze
performance measures and update network connectivity.
 Considering editing the scoring system to do in-house assessment
quickly and to condense files as our municipal program evolves.
Choosing projects:
 Phasing Projects within updated budget constraints.
 Consider future maintenance and sustainability of chosen projects
particularly pavement markings.
 Re-submit 5-year plan to MassDOT as project priorities and
connections change.

48. TOWN OF AGAWAM
Working Toward a Sustainable Plan
 Continued Engagement and Public
Involvement - Leads to more interest and
acceptance which leads to more funding
opportunities.
 Public Education - Locals need to recognize
and use the facilities correctly.
 In-House Education - Stay up to date on
latest innovation, guides, standards, and
successful projects in other municipalities.
 Keep Working Together –
• Planning and Transportation agencies.
• MassDOT – State & District Complete Streets
Coordinators.
• Other municipalities.
• Advocates (i.e. MassBike, cycling clubs, etc.)
 Don’t Give Up! - Always first push for the best
possible accommodations and try to make
them work.
“AGAWAM” bike rack made by Michael Poole
of Blue Collar Artisans – Easthampton, MA

49.  Municipalities enter Tier 3 – Project funding once
they prepare and submit the following:
• Tier 3 Project Application Spreadsheet
(Uploaded to Portal)
• Detailed Costs Estimate
• Massachusetts Historical Commission
Project Notification Form
• Environmental Punch list
• Conceptual Plan or Locus
• Detailed Project Narrative, and
• Construction Funding Agreement
TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3: Construction Project

50. TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3 Project Application Spreadsheet
 Pleasant Street – Sidewalk Reconstruction
 Seabrook Road – Sidewalk Construction

51. TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3 Project - Locus
 Pleasant Street – Sidewalk
Reconstruction
 Estimated Cost – $300,000
 Complete Streets Funding
Requested – $300,000

52. TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3 Project - Locus
 Seabrook Road – Sidewalk
Construction
 Estimated Cost – $210,000
 Complete Streets Funding
Requested – $100,000
 Town Rotating Fund –
$110,000

53. TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3 Project
Seabrook Road- Connectivity from multiple residential neighborhoods to
elementary school , 2 parks and railtrail
Pleasant Street- Help reach master plan goal to revitalize village center. Key
pedestrian connector between ferry road and bank, pharmacy, post office.

54. TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3 Project – Schedule
 Application Date 9/15/16
 Notice of Award 11/28/16
 Notice to Proceed 12/30/16
 Bidding
• Seabrook Road (Feb/March 2017)
• Pleasant Street (May 2017)
 Construction
• Seabrook Road (April – August
2017)
• Pleasant Street (June - October
2017
 Close Out
• November 2017

55. TOWN OF SALISBURY
Tier 3 Project- Construction Photos

56.  As more and more municipalities enter the program
and become eligible for Tier 3 – Project Funding,
selection criteria will be used to target projects that
provide the greatest benefit towards Complete Streets
 This will encourage municipalities to focus their
efforts on projects that serve the needs of all users
and span across multiple modes
PROGRAM UPDATE
Moving Forward – MassDOT Program

57.  As Engineers, Planners and Advocates we need to
continue to focus on the needs of all modes and how
they interact with one another.
 We want to encourage municipalities to support
Complete Streets in order to facilitate better
pedestrian, bicycle and transit travel for people of all
ages and ability.
 To accomplish this, we can help them identify critical
gaps in multi-modal infrastructure all built around
safety.
PROGRAM UPDATE
Moving Forward – Complete Streets

58. Your Title Here.
 Level One
• Level Two
• Level Three
Questions?
Thank you!
Jim Czach, P.E.
Town Engineer
West Springfield
Michelle Chase, P.E.
Town Engineer
Agawam
Lisa Pearson
Planning Director
Salisbury