Officials from the Maine Department of Transportation got a tepid response to parking proposals and other changes proposed for its $5 million downtown traffic improvement plan. About 100 residents turned out for Monday’s meeting in the elementary school.

Project Manager Ernie Martin restated MDOT’s core reasons for the project: improving pedestrian safety and traffic flow through town. He said he’d held 16 meetings here since voters approved Option 2 in June 2016.

When it came time for questions, Martin heard many of the same concerns aired since the project was rolled out 14 months ago. A number of residents and business owners still aren’t sold on the idea and urged the state to slow down.

Several speakers opposed MDOT’s plans to demolish the Haggett building to make room for a 25-space parking lot. Last month, MDOT purchased the brick building on Water Street from CEI of Brunswick. It’s currently home to Midcoast Conservancy, a nonprofit that has leased it since January 2016. Ron Phillips, a past CEO of CEI, and others asked MDOT to reconsider its decision to raze the building.

Several residents recalled traffic lights being tried in the past, saying they only added to the gridlock. Chris Bobay, senior project manager with VHB, a traffic consultant working with MDOT, told the audience many options were considered before MDOT settled on the traffic signals and pedestrian crossing lights.

“At peak times during the summer, there’s still going to be traffic backups on Main Street. This isn’t a silver bullet,” he said.

For the present, added Bobay, MDOT wasn’t proposing green turn arrows for either light. This means northbound motorists wanting to turn left onto Middle or Water Street would have to wait for an opening in oncoming traffic. So would southbound drivers coming off the bridge wanting make a left onto Water or Middle.

Martin was asked several times if MDOT would consider doing the project incrementally  to see what will and won’t work.

“We know what lies ahead with the coming traffic lights, it’s going to be a problem,” Seaver Leslie warned.

“Maine drivers are like running water,” John Reinhardt commented. “When the traffic is backed up, they look for the easiest way through town. You still haven’t identified what this will do to the traffic flow on Lee, Churchill and the other side streets.”

Others, like former selectman Judy Flanagan, were optimistic the project will work. “There are people in town, business people too, who are very much in favor of this,” she said.

MDOT’s proposed parking plans include adding 28 parking spaces on Railroad Avenue by removing the railroad siding, widening and paving the gravel road; a 35-space parking lot at the north end of the road that will include two spaces for tour bus parking; and four loading zones, including two on Main Street: One in front of the Golden Wok restaurant on the corner of Middle Street, the other on the north side of Main Street in front of the Wawenock Block. Another loading zone is planned on Water Street in front of Red’s Eats and one would be behind Red’s Eats on Railroad Avenue.

Except for the loading zones, all parking will be removed on both side of Main Street from Middle to Water streets. Fifteen spaces would be eliminated from Water Street: six in front of Red’s Eats and six on the opposite side of Main Street in front of Sarah’s Café. Three additional parking spaces would be removed on Water Street across from Red’s Eats alongside 55 Main, the former Key Bank building.

On Middle Street, 10 parking spots would be eliminated, seven from the north side and three from the south side. Three diagonal parking spaces in front of the Marston House will remain, but five parking spaces in front of the Golden Wok will be removed. Four diagonal parking spots on Fort Hill Street behind the post office will be changed to parallel parking spaces for two to three vehicles.

MDOT plans to pave the area around the Main Street Pier. The lot there currently has 12 parking spaces.

Martin said more Public Advisory Committee meetings are planned that will include discussions on landscaping, lighting and other design elements. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2018 and be completed in phases over several years.