Sacramento County completes Franklin Boulevard improvements | The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento County officials celebrated the completion of a Franklin Boulevard revitalization project this morning.

The $2.1 million project started in April, adding curbs, sidewalks, landscaped medians and other improvements on the boulevard along the seven blocks lining the former Campbell Soup Co. plant.

The 2013 closure of the plant was a big blow to an area that was already struggling, taking with it 700 well-paying jobs.

A consortium is turning the plant into a mixed-used development. County officials hope the street-scape improvements will attract further development to the area.

The project was done by the county’s Transportation Department and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. The project is the second part of broader redevelopment plan conceived over a decade ago for Franklin Boulevard. Several years ago, improvements on Franklin Boulevard were added to the section between 47th Avenue and Turnbridge Drive.

Business leaders complain that not enough has been done to carry out the plan. Redevelopment officials say the state’s ending of redevelopment funds in 2011 made it more difficult to carry out the work.