Reclaiming Franklin Street

The Franklin Reclamation Authority (FRA) is a citizen-led group committed to a realizing a redesigned Franklin Street that meets the goals of the Portland community.

In 2006, FRA worked to stop the proposed widening of Franklin Street to 8 lanes.

In 2007, FRA led a community-based visioning process to successfully redirect city and state efforts for future transportation planning for Franklin.

From 2008 to 2015, FRA partnered with the City of Portland and Maine DOT to facilitate the public planning process for Phase 1 and 2 of the redesign process.

FRA has continued to build relationships with elected officials and staff at the city, state, and federal level to advocate for the reintegration of Franklin St. into the fabric of the Portland peninsula.

Planning Process

Design and Planning

Portland’s 2015 Franklin Street Redesign Master Plan achieves many of the community vision goals:

Reclaims 6 acres of un-utilized land for housing and public benefits.
Reconnects historic neighborhoods and street grids.
Restores land severed from Lincoln Park.
Creates high quality bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
Establishes safer and more predictable transportation patterns for all users.

History of Franklin Street

Franklin Street History

Portland’s Franklin Street was a historic street on the the Portland peninsula. In 1970, the low-income and immigrant neighborhood was demolished to make way for an urban expressway.

This arterial severed historic neighborhoods, cross streets, and walking routes. It is unsafe for people walking, biking, and driving. It is out of scale with the surrounding city, and covers 10+ acres of underutilized land in the heart of the city. It detracts from density, limits development opportunities, and cuts residents off from un-utilized open space.

Issues and Opportunities

Issues and Opportunities

The 2025 redesign study will explore issues and opportunities such as: