Speed limit slashed after fatal Plainfield crash
PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — The newly reduced 45 mph speed limit on U.S. 40 aims to improve safety after a tragic incident, the Indiana Department of Transportation says.
Blake Dollier, public relations director for INDOT’s west central district, said Wednesday, “This isn’t construction where you see that speed limit reduced maybe to 45 or something of that nature for the part-time when our workers are out there. This is a permanent change, and this change is going to be here to stay.”
The speed limit reduction — from just east of Ventura Boulevard to just west of Vandalia Boulevard and Mecklenburg Drive — follows a deadly crash in August involving a Plainfield police officer along U.S. 40 . Officer Logan Westerfield collided with a car just 5 miles from the new speed limit zone, and 78-year-old Barbara Williams and 79-year-old Bennie Williams died in the crash. Westerfield in October resigned from the police force .
Dollier said, “Believe it or not, in this area, while it’s 55 right now, we’ve still seen an increase in pedestrian traffic. We have some neighborhoods and stores in that area, so as we look into this, we see the need arising in this area, and we need to make sure we’re staying ahead of the curve.”