CHAPTER 1
Introduction

As state departments of transportation (DOTs) make significant strides in the provision of active transportation facilities through Complete Streets programs, challenges in the maintenance of the infrastructure have arisen. Maintenance equipment used to service roadways is often incompatible with bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and the additional funding resources required for maintenance crews are often unavailable. State DOTs manage these maintenance and funding obstacles differently. This report seeks to identify, document, and synthesize the various approaches to determine the state of the practice.

1.1 Synthesis Objective

The objective of this synthesis is to document state DOT practices related to the funding and maintenance of Complete Streets projects. This synthesis examines maintenance operations and policies for all active transportation facilities under state DOT jurisdiction. It also investigates the impetus for relegating maintenance activities to local governments and how this dynamic plays out in the planning process. This synthesis of DOT policies and procedures for the maintenance and funding of Complete Streets facilities will assist DOTs in considering more sustainable approaches for protecting the investments they make in active transportation infrastructure while also aiding those in the early stages of developing maintenance programs. The scope of work included documenting information on the following items:

• Existence of state DOT policies or procedures for Complete Streets, including policies related to the distribution of funding for Complete Streets development;
• State DOT funding strategies and/or policies, including cost-sharing arrangements, for the design, construction, and maintenance of new and existing Complete Streets developments (e.g., new or widened sidewalks, pavement strips or markings for various users, new bikeways, crosswalk enhancements, pedestrian-scale/bikeway lighting, street furnishings, green infrastructure, wayfinding signage, transit parking); and
• DOT practices regarding Complete Streets maintenance, such as
  • Development of new maintenance practices (e.g., new team designated to perform active transportation facility maintenance exclusively or maintenance by equipment);
  • State DOT procedures for assessing and prioritizing maintenance of facilities (e.g., call/complaint, asset management systems);
  • Maintenance agreements with local entities (e.g., private agencies, cities, counties) and tribal governments for Complete Street projects;
  • Recruitment policies, special certification, and training programs for maintenance staff; and
  • Policies for acquiring maintenance materials and equipment (e.g., bikeway sweepers, furnishings and lighting standards, maintenance trucks, temporary traffic control equipment, trailers, flatbeds).

1.2 Study Approach

The project team, guided by the synthesis panel, conducted a literature review, executed a survey questionnaire to state DOTs, and performed in-depth case example interviews. The literature review provided an initial understanding of the current state of the practice; these findings are discussed in Chapter 2. The literature review and the synthesis panel both informed the development of the survey questionnaire presented in Appendix A. It was designed to identify the state of the practice regarding active transportation facility maintenance and funding programs managed by state DOTs. The survey was administered in 2023 and introduced with a description of the objective and advice for completing the survey.

The survey gathered information regarding practices related to funding and maintenance of active transportation facilities within the DOTʼs jurisdiction. The survey was designed with skip logic to make the survey more easily completed and more adaptable to the different levels of program maturity within the various state DOTs. Skip logic changes the question a respondent sees based on their responses to the preceding questions. The survey was created and distributed using a survey management system, which provided an electronic platform for survey creation and response collection. Once the final draft of the survey questionnaire was approved by the synthesis panel, an email request, with the survey link, was distributed to active state DOT transportation professionals in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. A PDF copy of the survey questionnaire was digitally provided to state DOT contacts so that they could work with their colleagues to pull together their responses prior to initiating the survey.

A summary of the survey responses is noted in Chapter 3, with individual responses provided in Appendix B. Following the analysis of survey responses, in-depth case example interviews were conducted to gather more information on the process of funding and maintaining active transportation facilities. Candidates for follow-up interviews were selected based on their willingness to participate in a follow-up interview (as indicated by responses to the last question in the survey) and their responses to individual survey questions. Candidates for follow-up interviews were selected based on several goals, including:

• Applying a range of approaches to maintenance,
• Providing geographically representative DOTs,
• Studying DOTs of varying sizes, and
• Identifying important gained experiences that could be beneficial to other DOTs.

In total, five state DOTs that are significantly addressing the challenges associated with maintaining active transportation facilities were invited to further share their knowledge by participating in case example interviews. States that participated in interviews included California, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, and Washington State. Details of the individual interviews are outlined in Chapter 4, and the questions asked during the interviews are provided in Appendix C. Chapter 5 provides a summary of the reportʼs findings and areas for future research.

1.3 Synthesis Organization

This synthesis is organized into the following chapters and sections:

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature Review
• Chapter 3: State of Practice Survey

• Chapter 4: Case Examples
• Chapter 5: Summary of Findings
• Appendix A: Survey Questionnaire
• Appendix B: Individual Survey Responses
• Appendix C: Written Complete Streets Policies