DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have two road-related questions:

When heading south on the Maine Turnpike from Lewiston, there are orange barrels blocking the right lane. There are multiple construction signs along the side of the highway, but they are covered with boards or fabric, which leads me to think that the speed limit is the normal 70 mph, not 50 mph for construction.

A little over a mile away from the exit, at the working construction site, the speed limit signs say 50 mph. Can you verify that the speed limit is 70 until the 50 mph signs are seen, please?

After a lot of construction, the new traffic lights and lanes are now open just past the turnpike exit in Auburn. The one at the corner of Kittyhawk used to have turning lanes in both directions having a green light at the same time, and then both directions swapped to green light on regular traffic lanes.

Since the new setup opened, now traffic heading in to Auburn goes first and traffic heading toward New Gloucester, both turning and straight, have quite a delay, which is backing up traffic.

There are many people trying to head south to get to work, and they are being delayed longer than they used to be unnecessarily. Is there any way to register complaints or is the current setup temporary? I can see no good reason for having southward traffic delayed, and am hoping they will consider changing it to the way it used to be timed.

Thank you for any help that you can provide! — Frustrated Driver via email

ANSWER: For the first part of your question, Erin Courtney of Public Relations for the Maine Turnpike Authority provided an answer:

“The easy answer is, yes, the speed limit is 70 mph until the 50 mph signs are posted. In the area that Frustrated Driver speaks of, there are two overlapping construction zones for separate projects — one at the Lewiston Interchange and one on the Androscoggin River Bridge. So the reason that there might be signs covered with fabric is because we cover up any signs that are conflicting.”

For the second part, Sun Spots contacted the Maine Department of Transportation. It took a while to find the right person, but ultimately she got an email from Timothy Soucie, Region 1 traffic engineer, who wrote:

“The short answer to your question is that the traffic signal at the intersection of Route 202 and Kittyhawk Avenue in Auburn is not working as intended and is being adjusted to improve the efficiency of the intersection. It is not uncommon when a new traffic signal is installed or an existing signal is modified that field adjustments are required to calibrate the signal to get it operating as intended.

“The traffic signal at this intersection uses cameras mounted on the utility poles at the corners of the intersection to identify when a vehicle is present and in which lane.

“The camera responsible for monitoring the approach for Route 202 northbound traffic is currently mistaking large trucks in the thru lane as vehicles intending to make a left turn to Kittyhawk Avenue. This traffic signal is programmed to allow left turns from Route 202 to Kittyhawk Avenue to go prior to Route 202 southbound thru traffic.

“The result is that the traffic signal controller, believing a steady line of left-turn vehicles is present, adds delay to the southbound direction of traffic, which must wait until the maximum time allowed for this left-turn movement has elapsed.

“Adjustments were made to the signal programming recently which should significantly improve its operation. We will continue to monitor the situation and make additional adjustments if necessary.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Our Lewiston-Auburn Kiwanis Club is holding a first-ever yard sale to benefit the Kiwanis ELIMINATE Project, a worldwide service project to rid the world of neonatal tetanus. A donation of $1.80 can save a child!

The yard sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at 30 Martha Ave. in Lewiston. Donations welcome.

Also, if anyone is interested in learning more about Kiwanis and potentially joining our organization, please call me at 207-890-7189 (cellphone, so please leave a message) or email Paul Gauvreau at [email protected].

We get tremendous business and community support for our annual pancake breakfast, but we could use volunteers year round. — Sarah Glynn via email

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to [email protected].