SKOWHEGAN — Somerset County commissioners reviewed the results of a Maine Department of Transportation speed study for Lake Moxie Road in The Forks on Wednesday, ultimately deciding not to pursue a change to the road’s current speed limit.
The discussion follows previous debate over allowing ATV access on a county-maintained portion of the road. Commissioners voted in February to deny a proposal to allow ATV traffic on a section of Lake Moxie Road along existing off-road trail systems.
As part of those earlier discussions, commissioners also requested that MDOT evaluate the road’s speed limit. At the time, some argued that slower traffic would improve safety, particularly if ATVs were ever allowed to travel on the road.
Although the ATV proposal was rejected, commissioners said the speed study remained worthwhile because it provided an opportunity to determine whether the existing speed limit and signage accurately reflected roadway conditions.
During Wednesday’s meeting, commissioners reviewed the findings presented by MDOT traffic engineer Timothy Soucie.
According to Soucie, the legal speed limit on Lake Moxie Road is posted at 45 mph from end to end. While his review found no justification for reducing the roadway to 25 mph, he said he likely would not oppose lowering the speed limit to 40 mph if the county chose to pursue that option.
The study also identified an issue with existing signage in the village area of The Forks. Soucie explained that a 30 mph sign posted near a cluster of homes is not an official MDOT speed limit and is unenforceable.
Although motorists may assume the sign establishes a legal speed limit, Soucie said it does not appear in the department’s database. As a result, law enforcement cannot issue enforceable speeding citations based on the posted 30 mph limit.
Instead, Soucie recommended removing the unofficial sign and replacing it with a “Village Area” sign to alert motorists that they are entering a more developed section of the roadway. He also recommended installing additional 45 mph speed limit signs to provide more consistent guidance for drivers.
The findings prompted discussion among commissioners about whether lowering the speed limit was still necessary now that the ATV proposal had been rejected.
“The main reason I think we did the research, had it done, was to see if ATVs would be on that road, and we’ve already established we’re going to repair the trail versus allow them on the road,” one commissioner said.
Commissioners also noted they have received no complaints about speeding on Lake Moxie Road outside of concerns raised during the ATV discussions.
Some commissioners said they would support reducing the speed limit to 40 mph if MDOT recommended doing so. Others questioned whether such a change was warranted given the lack of documented speeding complaints and the commission’s earlier decision not to allow ATVs on the roadway.
The commission also discussed whether the concentration of homes near the village could qualify that section of road as a residential district under Maine law, potentially allowing for a 25 mph speed limit.
However, Soucie’s study concluded the area does not meet the state’s criteria for a residential speed zone.
“The best we can do is take that sign down for lack of confusion and put up a village sign, but hoping that they slow down,” a commissioner advised, to eliminate confusion for both motorists and law enforcement while still encouraging drivers to use caution through the village area.
Ultimately, commissioners agreed that correcting the signage was a more appropriate course of action than pursuing a lower speed limit.
The commission directed county staff to work with MDOT to implement the study’s recommendations, including removing the unenforceable 30 mph sign, replacing it with a Village Area sign, and installing additional 45 mph speed limit signs along the roadway.
