Complete Streets: Costs Questions Guides Powerpoint 2

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Complete Streets:Guide to Answering the Costs Question

Companion Presentation, Part 2

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Complete Streets can be achieved within

existing budgets.

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Use with: concerned or receptive transportation professionals, engaged officials

Complete Streets can be achieved within

existing budgets.

Simple, Low-Cost, High-Impact

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Greater Greater Washington

Simple, Low-Cost, High-Impact

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Greater Greater Washington

Low-Cost, High-Impact: New York City

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In almost all improved areas, fatalities and pedestrian crashes decreased in by 9 - 60%.

New York City traffic fatalities fell to an all-time record low.

Low-Cost, High-Impact: New York City

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Built many low-cost facilities:• 35 pedestrian refuge

islands• 55 new left turn lanes• 12 curb extensions• 8 median tip extensions• 4 pedestrian fences• 600 re-timed

intersections Flickr.com user bicyclesonly

Low-Cost, High-Impact: New York City

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New York City DOT

In 2011, the city DOT spent $2 million dollars to fill additional potholes.

That’s more than it spent out of its own budget over THREE years for its bicycle program.

Low-Cost, High-Impact: San Diego

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$20,000 provides access to a low income neighborhood’s only park.

$4,500 enhances safety and calms traffic at an intersection.

Andy Hamilton Andy Hamilton

Low-Cost, High-Impact: San Diego

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Lost-Cost, High-Impact: Redding, California

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Recent reconstruction project:

6 curb extensions +2 median islands =$40,000

Friendlier and safer street, only 13% of total budget

Sergio Ruiz

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"When we talk about ‘Complete Streets,’ we aren’t necessarily talking about expensive widening

projects or major redesigns of our roadways. These concepts can often be applied to existing streets by simply re-thinking how we approach traffic flow and how we accommodate all modes of transportation.”

– Phil Broyles, Director of Public Works, Springfield, Missouri

City of Milwaukee

Think Ahead, Think Smart

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Complete streets can save money.

• Narrower travel lanes require less land, less pavement

• Provide more options = reduce need for widening some intersections

• Do it right the first time, not when forced to later—at a higher price

Colorado Springs, Colorado

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Maintenance and operations activities:Repave 3% of road network each yearConvert 4 auto lanes to 2 bike lanes + 3 auto lanes

City of Colorado Springs

Saving Money: Lee County, Florida

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Re-examined 5 road-widening projects

Found widenings unnecessary

$58.5 million savings

Andy Callahan

Saving Money: Richfield, Minnesota

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• Needed to replace road after necessary sewer work

• Priced at $6 million to replace road as is

• Mn/DOT re-evaluated transportation needs and found no need for wide roadway

• Reallocated road space for all users, saved $2 million

Saving Money: Charlotte, North Carolina

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Changing roadway striping during restriping ≈ just 15% of total project.

Safely narrowing width of travel lanes saves about 2% of project costs.

Charlotte DOT

Saving Money: Washington State

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500 miles of the state highway system are ‘main streets.’

Over ten years, 47% of projects on these streets had scope, schedule, or budget changes resulting in delay.

Washington DOT

Saving Money: Washington State

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Pilot project consulted community ahead of time.

Complete Streets planning could have saved an average of $9 million per Main Street project – about 30% – in reduced scope, schedule, and budget changes over the last 10 years.http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/733.1.pdf

Washington DOT

Saving Money: Brown County, Wisconsin

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• Re-evaluated needs on four-lane road

• Instead created three-lane street with two bike lanes

• Replaced traffic signals with roundabouts

• Savings: $347,515, 16.5% below the original project estimate.

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“Implementation of Complete Streets goals can actually keep costs at acceptable levels and save money, while adding more public

benefits and return on investment.”– Scott Bradley, Director of Context Sensitive Solutions,

Minnesota Department of Transportation

Flickr.com user Mamichan

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"The [Complete Streets] processes that we are going through now in project development

should lead to fewer changes in construction by addressing the issues upfront. If you are

properly going through the project development process, you should have lower costs, fewer change orders, and fewer delays because people are not coming out during the

construction phase to demand changes.” – Thomas DiPaolo, assistant chief engineer for

MassDOT

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“This [Complete Streets policy] puts the framework in place that allows the city to start with a project in the design

phase and include these multi-modal recommendations. It will be at a much lower cost than tearing up something

that’s already in place.” – Michael Leaf, Transportation Commission, Highland Park, Illinois

Flickr.com user Zol87

Incremental Changes, Big Impact

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• Road diets

• Combining projects to lower costs

• Incremental approach: make it better each time you touch it

• Simply thinking about small improvements

Variable Total Costs: North Carolina

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-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Variable Total Costs: North Carolina

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-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Bike Lanes

Sidewalks

12 -> 11’ Lanes

Source: NCDOT

Variable Costs: Charlotte, North Carolina

Costs vary:• Terrain• Adjoining land use• Scope

Sidewalks, bike lanes, etc. are small %age of total cost

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“[Protected bike lanes] are dirt cheap to build compared to road projects.”

– Gabe Klein, Commissioner, Chicago DOT

Steven Vance

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“The advantage of inserting a dialogue about all users at the earliest stages of project development is that it provides the designers and engineers the best opportunity to create solutions at the best price.”- James Simpson, Commissioner,

NJDOT

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