Maine Department of Transportation officials will share a number of different proposals under consideration for improving traffic flow through downtown Wiscasset.

The informational meeting will be held in the gymnasium at Wiscasset Community Center from 6 p.m.to 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 8.

In a Feb. 22 email to the Wiscasset Newspaper, MDOT project manager Gerry Audibert states:“Our intent is to provide the public an unveiling of the major non-bypass alternatives being considered for downtown Wiscasset.

“The alternatives that will be presented will significantly reduce traffic congestion and will improve public safety, while enhancing the unique features downtown Wiscasset has to offer,” Audibert adds.

Following the presentation, MDOT will open the meeting to questions and feedback from residents and business owners.

“We will also follow up over the next several months with additional public meetings for further public discussion,” Audibert’s email continues.

MDOT would not release illustrations or other details in advance of the meeting, in Audibert’s words, “due to the complexities of the alternatives being considered.”

He added MDOT will provide a website detailing the proposals. The site will go online March 9. No web address was given, although the town office plans to post a link to it on Facebook and the town’s website, www.wiscasset.org.

The town office and MDOT are planning a town-wide mailing to 2,341 postal patrons announcing the March 8 informational meeting.

Selectmen’s Chairman Benjamin Rines Jr. hopes there’ll be a large turnout.

“People need to show up and ask any question or air whatever concerns they might have,” he said Friday morning.

Rines, along with Selectmen’s Vice Chairman Judy Flanagan and Town Manager Marian Anderson, reviewed the plans with MDOT officials last October in Augusta.

“We had initially been invited to discuss the weight limits on Federal Street and while we were there they shared with us some of their ideas for downtown,” Rines continued.

Among the proposals Rines recalled was one for installing a traffic signal downtown. Another was preventing southbound traffic that’s exiting the Davey Bridge from making a left hand turn onto Water Street. Rines said there was some discussion regarding eliminating parking spaces as well. No time frame was given when the traffic improvements might take place.

“The best thing would be for people to come to the meeting and hear direct from them what they have in mind,” Rines said.

This spring MDOT will begin work to add a traffic signal at the junction of routes 1 and 27 near the Wiscasset municipal building. The project includes the construction of sidewalks and signals for pedestrian crosswalks.

Also in the works are plans for street islands and turning lanes at both of the Route 1 and Route 144 exits. Other roadwork is planned at the south exit of Old Bath Road.