Downtown Revitalization

Downtown Franklin Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project
The goals of the Downtown Improvement Project is to improve vehicular circulation and safety, improve emergency response time, improve the deteriorated conditions of certain secondary roadways, create a safer pedestrian friendly environment, improve the overall appearance of Downtown Franklin, and stimulate private sector investment.

Questions or Comments
For more information or questions regarding the Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project, please contact Franklin’s Director of Planning and Community Development, Bryan W. Taberner, at 508-520-4907 or send email. We look forward to hearing from you. Downtown Improvement Project Comment Form

General Project Description
The Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project is a multi-year $7.25 million roadway and streetscape improvement project. The project includes elimination of the one way traffic pattern of Route 140 in the Downtown area, installation of interconnected traffic signals with emergency preemption system, period streetlights, traffic calming devices, resetting curbs were needed, ADA compliant sidewalks, resurfacing of streets, and streetscape/landscape improvements and furniture.

Project Funding
The Town of Franklin has been awarded a $1 million Public Works Economic Development (PWED) grant (State funding), and a $5 million High Priority Project (HPP) grant (Federal funding); the HPP grant will be matched by roughly $1.25 million in State and local funds.  

Project Area
The two grants have different requirements and it is necessary to manage the Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project as two separate but directly adjacent projects.  The project area for the HPP Grant funded portion of work is as follows:

  • West Central Street, between Union and Main Streets
  • East Central Street, between Main and Ruggles Streets
  • Main Street, between East Central Street and Moore Avenue
  • Emmons Street between West Central and Main Streets.

The PWED Grant project area includes improvements to the following areas;

  • Emmons Street, between Main and Hillside Streets
  • Dean Avenue, between Main and Ray Streets
  • Depot Street between Main Street and Dean Avenue
  • Ray Street, between Dean Avenue and Depot Street.
  • Depot Street Municipal parking lot.

Ongoing Downtown Revitalization Efforts
The Town of Franklin, partnering organizations including Franklin Downtown Partnership and Dean College, local businesses and individuals have made revitalization of the Downtown area a major priority for several years.

The Franklin Center Plan was developed in 2002 and 2003 to provide Town officials with a vision and basic strategy for revitalization of Downtown Franklin, The Plan’s major conceptual improvement components are as follows:

  • Vision for Downtown Franklin    
  • Image and Identity
  • Public Places
  • Facades and Historic Preservation       
  • Cultural Uses
  • Mixed Use
  • Architecture
  • Better Parking and Pedestrian Connections
  • Streetscape Improvements
  • Circulation Strategies and Traffic Calming
  • Promoting Franklin Center

The Franklin Center Plan and related efforts, including formation of the Franklin Downtown Partnership, were funded in part through a Department of Housing and Community Development grant. The Downtown Partnership has become a very successful collaboration of residents, businesses, and community leaders, whose mission is the economic revival of Downtown Franklin.

The Town is carefully planning and managing projects to ensure they reflect the Town’s overall vision for Downtown.  The Town has made steady progress implementing a variety of economic development strategies, resulting in consistent incremental positive changes in the Downtown area.

While the Town has made much progress towards the incremental revitalization of Downtown Franklin, implementation of the Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project will result in major improvements over a fairly short period of time. Several of the major conceptual improvement project components outlined in the Franklin Center Plan relate directly to the Town’s Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project, including streetscape improvements, better parking and pedestrian connections, and circulation strategies and traffic calming.  
Additional Information
For more information about the Downtown Roadway and Streetscape Improvement Project contact Franklin’s Director of Planning and Community Development, Bryan W. Taberner, at 508-520-4907 or send email.