Centerline Studio combines a live cross-section design workspace with a full lifecycle benefit-cost analysis engine — purpose-built for the earliest, highest-leverage stage of corridor planning.
The first 10% of a project shapes 90% of outcomes. Yet formal BCA has historically been too slow and costly to run at the exploration stage — so planners commit to geometry before they've tested it.
By the time a formal analysis is funded, the corridor geometry is already fixed and alternatives can't be meaningfully tested.
Traditional BCA tools require specialist data assembly, spreadsheet wrangling, and re-runs for every change in assumptions.
NPV, BCR, and discount rates mean nothing to community stakeholders or decision-makers without translation — which takes more time.
Adjust lane widths, bike facility type, or parking and watch the BCR and NPV recalculate instantly — so geometry and economics evolve together.
Five scenario templates or a custom build. Cost inputs are pre-loaded. The lifecycle model runs in the background — no manual setup.
Every result comes with a decision narrative ready for project memos, briefing notes, and stakeholder presentations.
Drag-and-drop geometry control for every corridor element — sidewalks, furnishing zones, travel lanes, bike facilities, parking, and transit infrastructure. Right-of-way constraints enforced in real time.
InteractiveFull net present value, benefit-cost ratio, and discounted payback year across a 5–40 year horizon. Configurable discount rate and capital cost escalation. Outputs update with every design change.
Real-timeMonetised safety benefits, cycling mode-shift, active travel health value, travel time savings, and environmental emissions reduction — all calculated from your cross-section geometry.
ComprehensivePlain-language interpretation of every output — formatted for direct use in project memos, council briefings, and feasibility reports. No translation layer required.
Export-readyFive one-click presets — protected retrofit, main street, transit priority, streetcar corridor, and compact retrofit — pre-loaded with typical geometry and cost assumptions to jumpstart any analysis.
5 templatesA built-in spotlight walkthrough introduces every workspace zone, input, and output — so new users are productive within minutes without reading documentation.
Built-inCrashes avoided — PDO, injury, and fatal — valued against HCM unit costs
Journey quality and induced demand via NACTO/PBIC elasticity multipliers
Value per induced active-travel trip using WHO/HEAT methodology
Annual person-hours saved across all corridor users and modes
Reduced VMT and tailpipe emissions valued at current social cost of carbon
Beyond the core BCA, six extended modules answer the questions that come up in every corridor study — sensitivity, equity, emissions, demand, federal funding eligibility, and alternatives comparison.
Snapshot any two scenario states and compare geometry, costs, and all BCA outputs side-by-side. Works across templates or custom configurations.
A ranked bar chart showing how a ±25% swing in each key driver — capital cost, discount rate, safety benefits, cycling uptake — moves your final BCR. Know exactly where uncertainty lives.
Estimates annual CO₂ reduction from mode shift and VMT reduction, set against construction embodied carbon — yielding a lifecycle carbon balance and social value estimate.
Applies NACTO/PBIC facility-type elasticity multipliers to project new daily cycling trips generated by the proposed treatment — and values them in the BCA.
A 0–100 equity score derived from active-transport investment share, non-motorised benefit weighting, and contextual income and car-ownership data for the project area.
Scores your project against RAISE, SS4A, CRP, CMAQ, ATIIP, and TAP eligibility criteria — identifying your strongest funding angle before the application is written.
MERIDIAN is a knowledge-base assistant trained on the tool's full methodology — BCR, NPV, Rule of Half, discount rates, NACTO guidance, and more. Ask it anything. Get plain-language answers, not jargon.
It explains your results, helps you understand assumptions, and guides you through the analysis logic — so you're always confident in what you're presenting.
Physical separation added to an existing arterial. Parking removal scenario with safety uplift.
Mixed-use commercial corridor balancing pedestrian amenity, cycling access, and on-street parking.
Dedicated bus lanes with active transport improvements. High-frequency network context.
Fixed guideway integration with pedestrian realm design and cycling facility configuration.
Constrained ROW requiring trade-offs between all modes. Sensitivity-focused design scenario.
Adam Jones, AICP Senior transportation planner and BCA practitioner. Centerline Studio was built to put lifecycle economic analysis at the front of corridor planning — not the back.
The methodology draws on NACTO urban street design guidance, PBIC facility elasticity research, Treasury Board and OMB discount-rate frameworks, and WHO/HEAT active-travel health valuation.
Access is invite-based and available to transportation planning professionals and collaborators. Submit a request and you'll receive your invite code immediately.