Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy,city officials, and state economic development leaders are discussing best ways to funnel visitors from adjacent Route 128/Interstate 95 to the shopping center without jamming up traffic on the busy highway or clogging the surrounding neighborhood’s streets.

McCarthy said tentative plans include adding a ramp that would provide a direct link between the highway and the plaza, and presenting the development in an aesthetically pleasing way from the thoroughfare.

Representatives from the state Department of Transportation  said in order to approve creating access from the highway, the developer must first conduct a traffic analysis, which has yet to be submitted. The project would also require approval from the Federal Highway Administration as well as the state. From there, officials would talk about funding.