Franklin Boulevard Complete Street

If you’re not in a car on Franklin Boulevard, get off the street! That is, until the new complete streets plan is implemented. Once part of the Historic Monterey Trail, Franklin became a busy 4-lane arterial with very limited pedestrian and bicycle amenities. Drivers speed, there was lots of cut through traffic from Highway 99, pedestrian crossings were too wide and too far apart, there were no trees or outdoor spaces, and basically just no sense of place. Unless you’re a car.

The community wanted more. The new Plan was developed through a series of bilingual outreach events, business sessions, walking tours, design workshops, pop-ups and full-scale mockups—in partnership with local CBOs (La Familia, churches, youth) and the Historic Monterey Trail Business District. It improves connectivity and safety for all users, reduces traffic lanes from 4 to 2, creates new bicycle routes, addresses parking needs and improves pedestrian safety and access to businesses. The Plan is guiding City investment in the community and receiving unusually strong support from local businesses, which see it as a boon to economic development.