An accident involving a 15-year-old girl, hit by a pickup truck while riding her bicycle on William Clarke Drive in Westbrook Monday morning, is the most recent example of why the city started talking about calming traffic on the corridor almost a decade ago.

The girl, whose name has not been released, was taken to Maine Medical Center for a broken leg and abrasions, after she was hit at the intersection of William Clarke Drive and Central Street. According to Westbrook Police Lt. Mike Nugent, the girl was riding down Central Street and failed to stop at a stop sign before crossing William Clarke Drive. The driver of the pickup truck, Phil Lanier of Enid, Okla., is not being charged, police said.

Though the accident wasn’t the fault of the driver, it is a reminder that William Clarke Drive is and has long been considered a dangerous place for pedestrians and bicyclists. Though Westbrook Fire Chief Gary Littlefield said he remembers only one death in his 10 years with the department, each year there is an average of four or five accidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists on that road.

Stephanie Caron, who works at the Baker’s Bench at the corner of William Clarke Drive and Brackett Street, saw the aftermath of the accident Monday. She said it’s the third accident she’s seen this summer and the second that involved a pedestrian or bicyclist.

Aside from the actual crashes, Caron said, she sees and hears near misses all the time from the inside the bakery. She’s convinced that there’s a real need for improvements on the road – “whatever they can do to slow the traffic down,” she said.

Joshua Harrington, a Westbrook High School student, was crossing William Clarke Drive at Stroudwater Street Wednesday. Harrington said he has nearly been hit at that intersection.

“The walk signal should be updated,” Harrington said.

Eric Dudley, city engineer, said plans for improving the safety, flow and look of the road are moving forward and construction could begin as early as next spring.

Around 2000, the city planned to pay for improvements to William Clarke Drive through the downtown tax increment financing district. However, the money never accumulated and the project was handed over to the Department of Transportation, which asked that the road be redesigned in phases, delaying the project again, according to City Administrator Jerre Bryant.

Bryant said enough taxes have been generated now from downtown businesses to pay for the improvements, in conjunction with state highway funding.

Last fall, Dudley said, officials at the Department of Transportation decided that the $5 million project could be completed all at once. He said the project will go out to bid in the fall in order for construction to begin in the spring.

Improvements to the road would include adding a sidewalk to the south side of the street, redesigning the intersection with Westbrook Arterial, constructing a raised, landscaped median and adding left-turn lanes at Stoudwater, Spring, Brackett and Mechanic streets. New traffic signals would be added at Mechanic and Brackett streets, as well.

“This is something I really want to see get done,” said Dudley.

According to Dudley, the road, originally called Wayside Drive, was built in the late 1960s as a bypass for commuters from the west, so that they could avoid driving through the city’s downtown. However, the road comes between Main Street and a dense residential population, making it dangerous for those residents who want to walk to the parks and businesses downtown.

Increasing pedestrian safety is the first priority, Dudley said, but he said he’s also excited about the fact that traffic will flow better and that landscaping and ornamental lighting will “help beautify the corridor” – what he considers the gateway to Westbrook.

Though the long-discussed plans are becoming more of a reality, until the new road is built, Littlefield said, pedestrians and bicyclists need to make sure to look both ways and see that all four lanes of traffic are stopped before crossing.

“They need to pay attention,” he said. “People are in a hurry on that road.”

A bicyclist crosses William Clark Drive Wednesday. A bicyclist was hospitalized Monday after being struck by a car on the road. Improvements are planned for the road to make it safer for pedestrians.Joshua Harrington, a Westbrook High School student, crosses William Clarke Drive at Stroudwater Street Wednesday. Harrington said he has nearly been hit at that intersection. Chris Arsenault of Westbrook crosses Stroudwater Street at William Clarke Drive Wednesday.