WESTBROOK – The state Department of Transportation is recommending raising the speed limit on part of the Westbrook Arterial, making the entire Westbrook portion of the busy corridor a 45 mph roadway, according to city and state officials.

Department spokesman Mark Latti this week said an assistant traffic engineer, having completed a study of the arterial, has recommended raising the speed limit on portions of the arterial from 35 to 45. Latti said the change must officially be approved after a review by a senior traffic engineer, “which will be done shortly.”

City Engineer Eric Dudley said the state does not usually change a speed limit unless the community petitions for it first, but in this case, the state acted on its own to make the change. Latti said the engineer conducting the initial review travels in the area, and noticed the need for a change.

According to Westbrook Police Lt. Michael Nugent, the state has informed police of the proposal, and will be changing signs to reflect the new limit over the next two weeks.

“My only concern is that drivers pay some extra attention when approaching the Larrabee Road intersection and are prepared to stop at the traffic signal,” Nugent said. “Motorists also should know that (police) will actively enforce the new 45 mph limit along the length of the road.”

Latti confirmed local officials have been informed of the proposed change, but said signs would not be changed until the final review is done.

Dudley said the speed limit drops to 35 mph from the Forest Street overpass out to the Portland border. That zone, he said, was originally supposed to accommodate a series of S-curves that used to be part of the arterial.

Those curves, Dudley said, used to be located near Larrabee Road, where the Park and Ride lot is today. That lot, Dudley said, was part of the curves before the Maine Turnpike Authority removed them in a recent improvement project.

Removing the curves, Dudley said, makes the road much safer to drive at speeds up to 45 mph.

“I think it’s completely safe to change that from 35 to 45,” he said.

City Councilor Mike Sanphy, a retired police officer, said he remembered the curves causing a lot of problems, particularly when the road was icy.

“That was a problem, especially in the wintertime,” he said.

Combined with the intersecting William Clarke Drive, the arterial is a major route for commuters from Westbrook, Gorham, and other communities west of the city, both to Portland and to Interstate 95.

Sanphy said speeds should remain lower on William Clarke Drive, where crosswalks make faster speeds dangerous, but the arterial has no need for a 35 mph zone now that the S-curves are gone.

“I think that road will sustain it, no problem,” he said of the limit increase.