Societal Impacts of a Complete Street Project in a Mixed Urban Corridor: Case Study in Pittsburgh

Abstract

Complete streets facilitate multimodal travel by improving both transportation access and safety by emphasizing the user, not the automobile. This case study evaluates the impacts of a complete street retrofit on a mixed urban corridor in Pittsburgh. Forbes Avenue, originally a 4-lane urban arterial (two lanes in each direction, with no dedicated bike lanes), was reduced to three lanes (one lane in each direction and a center turn lane) and two bike lanes. A quantitative before-and-after analysis was conducted using multiple data sources. Results indicate that traffic volumes decreased by 11%–31%, bicycle counts increased by 160% and 280% during the peak AM and PM hours, respectively, and average PM2.5 concentrations were reduced from 9.1 μg/m3 to 7.6 μg/m3 when compared to preretrofit conditions. During construction (August 2018–July 2019), vehicle and pedestrian safety were not adversely impacted. Additionally, no crashes were reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in the five months following project completion. Results from this analysis can help inform the decision-making process for transportation planners exploring complete street projects with similar community and roadway traffic characteristics.