Maine Department of Transportation officials admitted to unhappy Freeport residents Tuesday night that they’ve learned something from the clear-cutting of trees the department recently did along Interstate 295, and the backlash that followed it.

The Town Council invited the two state officials to the Freeport Community Library for its scheduled workshop on matters that concern District 1 in town, the area most affected by the clear-cutting that has drawn bitter complaints of noise and sight pollution.

John Cannell, a regional department manager, and Dale Doughty, director of operations and maintenance, took questions from both the Town Council and the public.

“’Trust’ is one of the words on the back of our vehicles,” Doughty told the crowd of about 80, which overflowed into the library’s meeting room lobby. “It’s been a learning experience for us. I’ll own that.”

Doughty continued to say, however, that travel safety is the department’s No. 1 concern. The department has said all along it cut trees to the extent it did to allow the sunlight onto the roadway in order to melt ice and snow in the winter, and also to provide better sight distance for motorists to see animals venturing onto the highway. In the last three years along the Freeport I-295 stretch, Cannell said, there have been 182 vehicle crashes – 67 because of animals or snow and ice. He had no context as to whether that is a high number.

“I’m not saying anything would have changed,” Doughty said, “but we do need to have a better presence within the community.”

Doughty and Cannell said the department will repair damage done to fences along the stretch, take out stumps and clear out the debris. But that’s not enough for some residents, who would like to see a wooden barrier such as the one built along 295 in South Portland, or at least some plantings.

Michelle Peacock, who lives on Oak Avenue, in the Pine Street neighborhood that was scarred by the clear-cutting, isn’t satisfied. The noise from vehicles traveling the highway is with them, day and night.

“I can’t even open up our windows at night now,” Peacock said. “Let’s cut to the chase. Are you going to do anything about it?”

Following the meeting, Town Manager Peter Joseph said he has heard no proposals from the Department of Transportation to remediate the damage.