Skip to Main Content

Website Sign In

Complete Streets

Vision and Purpose

Complete Streets are designed and operated to provide safety and accessibility for all the users of our roadways, trails, and transit systems, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, motorists, commercial vehicles, and emergency vehicles and for people of all ages and of all abilities. Furthermore, Complete Streets principles contribute toward safety, health, economic viability, and the quality of life in a community by providing accessible an efficient connections between home, schools, work, recreation and retail destinations by improving the pedestrian and vehicular environments throughout communities. Click here to read about Gardner's Complete Streets Policy.

Public Input

The City of Gardner Department of Community Development and Planning, together with their consultant, BSC Group, held a Public Information and Input Meeting as part of the City’s Complete Streets Prioritization Planning Process. The Complete Streets Funding Program, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MASSDOT) offers Massachusetts municipalities incentives to adopt policies, develop prioritization plans, and identify and construct projects that will provide safe and accessible options for all travel modes – walking, biking, transit and vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities.

Community input was important to help identify community needs, prioritize potential projects, and develop a 5-year plan for Complete Streets transportation goals and improvements. The meeting was held on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at the Gardner Police Dept. Conference Room and was well attended by the public.

Complete Streets Timeline

June 24, 2015 -The City of Gardner was the second community in Massachusetts to sign a Commonwealth Community Compact showing our commitment to continuous improvement for our community through best practices in the spirit of partnership and public service.
June 28, 2016 - The City of Gardner adopts a Complete Streets Policy achieving Tier 1 of the Complete Streets Program and demonstrating their commitment to improving citizen safety through community-based programs to increase transportation safety for all modes of transportation for all users. This commitment to transportation safety was one of the City’s best practices pledges within our Community Compact.
October 2016 - The City of Gardner applies to MASSDOT for technical assistance funding to hire a consultant to develop a Complete Streets Prioritization Plan.
January 27, 2017: The City of Gardner is awarded $49,991.29 to acquire the services of BSC Group to develop a Complete Streets Prioritization Plan.
February to April 2017: City officials and BSC Group work together to compile information and identify potential transportation connections and improvements.
April 27, 2017: City officials and BSC Group hosted a public info and input meeting on Thursday, April 27th @ 6:30 PM in the Conference Room of the Police Department, 200 Main Street. BSC Group provided the public with information about the Complete Streets Program and reviewed potential improvement projects that have been identified. Community members provided input from the related to those projects and other potential transportation improvements.
May 2017: BSC Group prepared a Complete Streets Prioritization Plan based with guidance from the city officials, residents, and their and information collected from site visits and reviews of available transportation data.
June 2017: A 5-Year Complete Streets Prioritization Plan was finalized and submitted to MASSDOT identifying and ranking several transportation improvement projects. Submission of this plan qualified the City as a Tier 2 community and they became eligible for Tier 3 Complete Streets Construction Funding to implement Complete Streets Projects identified in the Prioritization Plan.
October 2017: The City applies for Complete Streets Construction funding to implement six Priority Projects.
March 2018: MassDOT awards the City of Gardner $327,949 of funding through the Completed Streets Program to implement six Priority Complete Streets Projects including signalized crossings, accessible ramps and crosswalks, safety lighting, and improved bicycle signage, lane markings, and connections.