H.R. 3712 — Complete Streets Act of 2025

This section establishes a complete streets program to promote multimodal transportation infrastructure accommodating pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, motorists, freight, and others of all ages and abilities. It directs the Secretary of Transportation to develop benchmarks and guidance within one year of enactment for states to implement the program and eligible entities (i.e., local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, transit agencies, Tribal governments, nonprofits, and others) to adopt and evaluate complete streets policies and principles. It requires each state to establish by October 1 of the second full fiscal year after enactment a competitive process to provide eligible entities technical assistance and grants for complete streets projects listed in their prioritization plans, with grant funding to begin by October 1 of the third full fiscal year after enactment.

This section revises Section 1442(a) of the FAST Act (23 U.S.C. 109 note) to require the Secretary of Transportation to direct each state and metropolitan planning organization to adopt and implement standards for the design of federal surface transportation projects. Those standards must provide for the safe and adequate accommodation of all users of the surface transportation network, including motorized and nonmotorized users, in all phases of project planning, development, and operation.

This section establishes complete streets design standards under new 23 USC 109(t), requiring the Secretary of Transportation to issue them not later than 180 days after enactment of the Complete Streets Act of 2025. The standards must include (1) dedicated, protected bike lanes with protection levels based on traffic speed, volume, and lanes; (2) sidewalks and crosswalks consistent with public right-of-way accessibility guidelines; and (3) lighting and signalization guidelines to promote safety. The section requires compliance with these standards for specified new projects on Federal-aid highways within metropolitan planning area boundaries that use funds apportioned under 23 USC 104(b) and involve new construction, reconstruction, or total costs exceeding $10 million. Initial compliance is required beginning 2 years after enactment for projects with scheduled, fixed-route transit service; subsequent compliance applies beginning the earlier of 5 years after enactment or a State's first statewide transportation improvement program after the 2-year deadline, to all qualifying projects in metropolitan planning areas (without the transit service requirement). Exemptions apply to (1) limited access highways; (2) signalized arterial roadways adjacent to heavy industrial zones (unless with fixed-route transit); (3) facilities lacking documented current or future need; (4) facilities with already-underway compliant projects; and (5) emergency repairs (requiring temporary multimodal accommodations to the extent practicable). States may appeal denials by metropolitan planning organizations to Federal Highway Administration regional and headquarters offices, and must submit biennial public inventories of compliant highway portions to the Secretary beginning 2 years after enactment (with the Secretary publishing a cost chart for complete streets elements). (Complete streets integrate accommodations for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users with motor vehicles to enhance safety and multimodal access.)