Developing a Guide for Estimating Benefits of Closing Gaps in Active Transportation Networks (2026)
Chapter: 1 Background
Chapter 1. Background
Conduct of Research Report Organization
The Conduct of Research Report is organized into four main chapters, including:
- Chapter 1: Background – introduces the original project purpose and research objectives.
- Chapter 2: Research Approach – describes the approaches utilized by the team to understand existing conditions and develop the final products through four different phases.
-
Chapter 3: Findings and Results – overviews the main findings in each phase and how they were incorporated into the resulting NCHRP Research Report 1149: Estimating the Benefits of Closing Gaps in Active Transportation Networks: A Guide.
- Synthesis of Exploration phase.
- Main research behind the final guide.
- Results of practitioner vetting and review of the final guide.
- Chapter 4: Summary and Suggested Research – offers opportunities for future investigation recognized by the project team during the research process.
For complete reference information for cited materials, see the References section of NCHRP Research Report 1149, and Appendix A: Phase I Report, which can be found on www.nationalacademies.org/publications by searching for NCHRP Web-Only Document 426: Developing a Guide for Estimating Benefits of Closing Gaps in Active Transportation Networks and looking under “Additional materials.”
Research Purpose
Walking, bicycling, and rolling are important and desirable modes of travel. Especially for short trips, shifting to active transportation is one step toward creating more active and healthier communities, improving air quality, and enhancing the vibrancy and resilience of local economies. The system of trails, sidewalks, bike lanes, and roads intended for walking, bicycling, or rolling is known as the active transportation network. In the United States, active transportation networks often have gaps—networks may be interrupted by missing facilities, restricted by vehicular traffic, blocked by human-built infrastructure, or they may fail to cross natural features.
These gaps in the network can make active travel harder or feel less safe. People are more likely to walk, bicycle, or roll to nearby destinations if the network is complete and comfortable. Therefore, many communities are focused on increasing the connectivity of active transportation networks including the 40,000 miles of multiuse trails across the nation.
Communities are increasingly asked to justify and evaluate investments of all types, including quantifying the benefits of building infrastructure for active transportation. The purpose of this research was to provide best practices for practitioners to estimate the benefits of closing gaps in active transportation networks.
Research Objective
The objective of this research was to produce a guide on how to estimate the benefits of closing gaps in active transportation networks that provides:
- A summary of existing methods to identify gaps
- A typology of gaps that reflect user groups and contexts
- A practitioner-ready methodology that uses an equity lens to estimate the economic, health, and social benefits of closing gaps
- Effective approaches to prioritizing gaps for long-range planning, programming, or project development activities
- Guidelines on how to effectively communicate the value of closing gaps to transportation decision-makers, local governments, communities, and other stakeholders
