WESTBROOK – Lingering concerns about the Maine Department of Transportation’s plan to rebuild the Bridge Street bridge were aired Tuesday at a meeting called by Planning Board to unveil plans for a spruced-up downtown streetscape.

Traffic congestion, designs for entering and exiting the parking lot behind the Frog and Turtle and the safety of pedestrians crossing Main Street were all raised during the workshop.

“The concerns you have here tonight, we have many of them as well, but we’re working within their framework to get what we want done. You’re not stating comments we haven’t heard before,” said Molly Just, city planner.

The state is working on a plan to move the Bridge Street bridge down to the Bridge Street spur and leave the trusses of the old crossing to build a multi-use walkway. While the project is under way, the city will work on its streetscape plan to spruce up the downtown.

“There are struggles here, but overall it’s an incredible project and an incredible opportunity,” Just said. “Otherwise, pedestrian improvements may never happen, or happen on an opportunity by opportunity basis over the next15 years or so. Now, in matter of two years, we can get them done.”

Just said Wednesday that the state has compromised with the city in several areas, including keeping the crosswalk at Main and Bridge streets.

“While the DOT may have some standards that may not fit neatly into the context of our unique downtown Westbrook, partnering with the DOT on this project will ensure that a multitude of highly visible and accessible public amenities that are consistent with the design of the Riverwalk will get built in the business core of the downtown at one time and with a savings to the city in time and construction costs. These amenities will be built within the next few years, instead of incrementally over 10-15 years,” Just said in her email.

The Westbrook streetscape improvement sketch plans show additional green space, which will act as a buffer between traffic and pedestrians. Bridge Street would also have expanded sidewalks along its corridor for possible outdoor seating at restaurants or benches for pedestrians. The right-turn lane for Bridge Street would be removed and a sidewalk bump-out put in its place to shorten the distance pedestrians walk to cross Main Street to Vallee Square.

Pedestrian overlooks would be added to either side of Bridge Street and another overlook near the Sacarrappa Falls. Just said the Riverwalk may also be expanded in the Sacarrappa Park side of the bridge.