Boothbay resident Mike Wallace is in the process of purchasing land on Route 238 in Southport to move to. He wants to put a road on the property, but the Maine Department of Transportation told him he does not have enough road frontage to do so.

Road frontage needed to put a driveway or road on a property is determined by the distance someone driving a car can see in both directions. As the property contains a hill and the speed limit on that road is 45 mph, there is currently insufficient frontage to put the road in. However, if the speed was reduced to 40 mph or lower, it would be permissible.

Wallace met with selectmen Sept. 20 to see if they could help him get the speed reduced. Selectman Gerry Gamage had previously met with David Allen of MDOT to plead the case, then sent a formal letter in June requesting a speed survey.

Normally, a speed survey measures the speed cars are driving on a road and sets the limit at 80 percent of that average, but as Gamage pointed out at the meeting “It isn’t about what (speed) people drive, it’s all about safety. And that 45 mph limit is not safe right now anyways.”

As of the Sept. 20 meeting, no response had been received from MDOT. Gamage had already reached out to State Rep. Stephanie Hawke about the issue, and promised to do so again.

Selectman Smith Climo assured Wallace, “We are right in your corner on this, we’ll make this happen. It might take a little time, but we’ll make it happen.”

The selectmen meet every Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Southport Town Hall.