Representatives, staff discuss scope of proposed multimodal transportation design guide

Representatives and transportation staff discussed a proposed multimodal transportation design guide during a committee meeting; staff described the guide's intended scope, how it will link to existing documents such as the Complete Streets guidance, and next steps for outreach and consultant support.

The guide is intended to give engineers and planners context-sensitive tools for designing bicycle, pedestrian and roadway facilities, staff said. "The web page is public facing," staff said, noting the project team has an internal list of documents used in development but has not published that list on the website. Staff said the guide will be a companion to existing documents such as the updated Complete Streets guidance and will interlink with modal plans and other resources rather than replace them.

Why it matters: A single multimodal design guide could standardize how transportation projects balance land use, safety and multimodal access across different contexts — downtowns, village centers and rural collectors — and shape future investments in sidewalks, bike facilities and resilient infrastructure.

Staff described the guide's technical emphasis as being on transportation infrastructure and on matching facility type to context. "Based on the cyclist use in this area, is a 4‑foot shoulder going to be appropriate? Is a 6‑foot shoulder with a 2‑foot buffered lane going to be appropriate? Is a shared use path going to be appropriate?" a staff member said, offering those as examples of the toolset the guide would provide for engineers and planners. Staff also said the guide would not dive deeply into landscape architecture details, and instead would reference other documents where those specifics exist.

Representatives asked how the guide could support placemaking and local economic goals. Representative White said the discussion gave a sense of the design standards Representative Lally had mentioned and asked whether the guide could suggest where bike paths, sidewalks or native plantings might be located in village centers. Staff responded that the guide is intended to "set the stage" for marrying transportation and land‑use planning but probably would not prescribe specific placemaking designs; those details would come from municipal and regional plans working in concert with transportation projects.

Representative Patrick urged coordination with commerce and downtown designation programs and noted potential funding tools such as tax credits and tax increment financing. Representative Patrick and others suggested on‑street EV charging and amenities that could let shoppers charge vehicles while patronizing local businesses; staff said partnership with the commerce agency (ACCD) and alignment with local downtown visions will be important as the project advances.

On outreach and benchmarking, a representative asked how the state compares with other states. Staff said the effort is consistent with actions by other progressive state departments of transportation and that lessons learned from elsewhere support the approach. Staff said the project team includes consultants to help manage what they described as an extensive body of reference materials.

Discussion participants also raised cost and long‑term efficiency concerns. Staff replied the guide is intended to help invest the "right money for the context" and to align long‑range planning, land use and transportation planning so investments produce appropriate, durable outcomes.

No formal votes or motions were recorded on the guide during the meeting. Staff said they would continue outreach and follow up with committees and partner agencies as next steps.

The meeting included questions from multiple representatives and project staff across an extended discussion; staff closed by thanking committee members and noting ongoing work to refine the guide and its supporting materials.