Complete Streets
2025 Complete Streets Prioritization Plan
In November 2025, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) approved Wellesley's 2025 Complete Streets Prioritization Plan. This plan is a prerequisite for grant funding from the Complete Streets Funding Program. Grants can be used for full road reconstruction, intersection construction, new sidewalks and bicycle paths or smaller projects such as new crosswalks, curb extensions, line paint, and street trees to shade streets for pedestrian comfort. The Prioritization Plan is not a to-do list but rather a guide to help us plan projects over the next 5-10 years.
Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing and building a transportation network that provides safe access for all users of our roadways, sidewalks and transit systems. Complete Streets contribute to the safety, health, economy and quality of life of our community by providing important links between home, school, work, play and shopping areas through improved, more accessible walking, biking, and driving routes.
The Complete Streets Funding Program. has three tiers:
- Complete Streets Policy (adopted in 2019)
- Complete Streets Prioritization Plan - Wellesley first developed a Prioritization Plan in 2020. As explained below Wellesley updated it plan in 2025, receiving MassDOT approval in October 2025.
- Construction Funding – To date Wellesley has received $882,000. For project information, visit the DPW Complete Streets Project webpages.
Updating the Complete Streets Prioritization Plan
- The project kicked off in February 2024 with a brief presentation to the Select Board.
- We asked for input….. And you responded! Thank you! 462 response on two interactive maps identified where safety improvements are needed.
The red dots on the map indicate aggregated locations where safety improvements are desired. The interactive map result data is available to view. The concerns encompassed issues encountered by walkers, bikers, and drivers while travelling throughout Wellesley.
- In addition, 409 people participated in a survey to help us understand the criteria we should use to prioritize the improvements. The survey results are shown in chart and graph form.
- We held a public meeting on March 24, 2025 . The slide presentation included preliminary survey results as the survey closed March 28. At the meeting, attendees showed their preference of how project should be prioritized . Attendees also provided opinions on design trade-offs when considering projects.
- We also met with school representatives, members of the senior center, and the Climate Action and Trails Committees.
Public input generated many project ideas, Unfortunately, due to resources we can't implement them all at once, so we need to focus on projects that the community wants and that builds a safe network benefiting the most people. Criteria used evaluate potential projects was developed with input from the community. For more on the criteria, see the criteria sheet. Some safety ideas, were regulatory such a stop sign requests are not part of the Prioritization Plan; those have been forwarded to the Traffic Safety Committee for further evaluation.
The Prioritization Plan is a list of potential project ideas and is a reflection of what the community wants. Some potential projects are easy. Some are complex. Some may need more public conversations. The Prioritization Plan is not a to-do list but rather a guide to help us plan projects over the next 5-10 years.