Complete Streets Design Guide
About Complete Streets
Montgomery County is developing a new approach to designing county roads using a concept called “Complete Streets.” Complete Streets are roadways that are designed and operated to provide safe, accessible, and healthy travel for all users of the roadway system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists. On a Complete Street, it is intuitive and safe to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to school. The approach to Complete Streets will vary in different parts of Montgomery County. This new document provides a one-stop guide for designing new streets and reconstructing or retrofitting existing streets following these principles:
- Safety – maximize safety for all (pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles),
- Sustainability – enhance ecological functions and economic appeal of a streetscape, and
- Vitality – create streets that are great, dynamic places.
View the approved Complete Streets Design Guide. We recommend downloading this document and viewing using a PDF reader.
The guide provides policy and design guidance on the planning, design, and operation of county roadways and will be used in the following situations:
- When designing future streets or reconstructed streets in an area experiencing redevelopment,
- When implementing a capital improvement project, such as the construction or reconstruction of a street, intersection, or bridge, and
- When resurfacing a street or conducting major work in the street, which may create an opportunity to reconsider some aspects of the street’s design.
Complete Streets are roadways that are designed and operated to provide safe, accessible, and healthy travel for all users of our roadway system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists.
A Complete Streets approach is an extremely important tool in support of the County’s Vision Zero Action Plan in that safety for all users is prioritized. For more information on the Planning Department’s role in Vision Zero, click here. The Complete Streets Design Guide is a collaborative effort between the Montgomery County Planning Department and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and with support from the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.
For more information, you are encouraged to contact either of the two co-Project Managers listed below:
Montgomery Planning – Steve Aldrich (301) 495-4528 Email
Montgomery County DOT – Andrew Bossi (240) 777-7200 Email
