More than $3 million worth of improvements will be made to Interstate 295 near the Maine Mall in 2009, state Department of Transportation officials told the South Portland City Council at a workshop Monday night.

At a joint meeting with the Portland City Council, South Portland leaders heard an outline of upgrades and widenings proposed for I-295, from Scarborough to Brunswick. The plans cover highway projects that are funded and scheduled for construction, as well as a long-term list of priorities and ideas for meeting traffic demands through 2025.

In South Portland, two projects are slated for construction next year:

• I-295 will be widened between exits 3 and 4. Transportation officials said “auxillary lanes” will be added on both the north and southbound roads to ease congestion as vehicles enter and exit the ramps. The area of highway is among the most heavily traveled in Maine, and close to capacity during peak evening hours. The total widening cost is $1.5 million.

• Prior to the widening, the transportation department will erect a 15-foot tall sound barrier along the northbound side of the highway, between exits 3 and 4. The back yards of several homes abut the highway, and noise levels exceed federal safety standards. The cost of the noise wall will be about $1.5 million.

A combination of federal and state highway dollars will fund both projects.

On Wednesday, highway officials were scheduled to meet with about 50 property owners impacted by highway noise. At Current press time, transportation officials were scheduled to disclose the results of a vote by residents on whether to allow the sound wall to be erected.

Property owners in the area have been unanimous in their support for the buffer, and no objections were expected.

At the end of October, transportation officials plan a public hearing for all South Portland residents to detail plans for the highway widening and answer questions about detours and the construction schedule. They also will field questions on the noise barrier.

At Monday’s workshop, transportation Commissioner David Cole told the two City Councils that highway officials are trying to inform stakeholders about the planned improvements in their cities and towns. Cole was accompanied by several DOT officials. Also attending were members of the Maine Turnpike Authority, the Portland Area Transportation Committee, or PACTS, and federal highway officials.

Although officials from the Department of Transportation predicted that traffic on I-295 from Scarborough to Brunswick would increase by 20 percent by 2025, they also acknowledged that highway use has been flat for the past five years and decreased in 2008 with rising fuel prices.

They discussed the results of a I-295 feasibility study as it relates to Portland and South Portland. In addition to improvements near exits 3 and 4, upgrades will be made to exits 6 and 7 in Portland to allow for motorists to better access ramps that connect to Forest Avenue and Franklin Arterial.

Leaders from both cities also learned about long-term ideas for making traveling easier and safer on I-295. Plans call for rebuilding the Veterans Memorial Bridge, at a cost of $30 million-$45 million. The bridge connects Portland’s West End to South Portland. The Veterans Memorial Bridge travels over the Fore River, and is considered a vital evacuation route off the Portland penninsula.

Although the project is a priority, it has not received funding or a date for construction. But it is likely to be included on a list of future highway projects for which Maine will seek funding in the near future.

Rebuilding the Veterans Bridge was identified as critical by 600 respondents in a telephone survey conducted in August, according to John Duncan, executive director of PACTS. He said PACTS is using the survey to inform its recommendations for highway funding.

PACTS is the metropolitan planning organization for the Portland region and includes 15 municipalities.

Other highway priorities identified were building safety lanes on I-295 between Congress Street and Franklin Arterial, boosting federal dollars for transit vehicles and covering capital costs for commuter rail service from Portland to Brunswick.

Another long-term project for South Portland mentioned Monday night was developing exit 4 as a full-service interchange. The project would involve building a southbound on-ramp, so that traffic on Main Street could connect with the highway. Currently, there only is a northbound on-ramp from the Lincoln Street extension.

Councilor Maxine Beecher reiterated South Portland’s long-standing concern about the number of large oil rigs that use Broadway. One of the problems is the weight limit on I-295 prevents oil trucks filled with fuel from using the highway.

Transportation officials explained that it would take an act of Congress to waive the weight requirements. Gov. John Baldacci supports the waiver, especially since oil rigs are forced onto secondary roads that are less able to withstand the weight of the heavy trucks.

Cole, the transportation chief, cautioned municipal officials about future projects that have yet to be funded, saying that federal highway dollars are uncertain in the current economy.

“We are in a period of great uncertainty, and seeing escalating construction costs.” He said the transportation department’s primary responsibility is to maintain the bridges and roads already built.