The speed limit in front of C.S. Porter Middle School is dropping to 30 mph.

“As a parent, I’m very happy to see it,” said Kathy Greathouse, one of many Porter parents who worry about the safety of their children crossing busy Reserve Street. “I’m going to be more comfortable when my son does use that crosswalk.”

The change is expected sometime this week. The city of Missoula and the Montana Department of Transportation worked last week on the wiring, posts and signs near the middle school, and a flip of the switch is in the works.

“We are presently waiting to hear back from NorthWestern Energy on when they will be able to turn the power on,” said Charity Watt Levis, MDOT spokeswoman, in an e-mail.

A city news release said the speed limit will drop from 45 mph to 30 mph and be effective from

7 a.m. to 5 p.m. when school is in session. The stretch where drivers will slow runs from 400 feet north to 400 feet south of the schoolyard.

Reserve Street is one of the state’s most dangerous routes. Earlier this year, C.S. Porter parents signed a petition asking for a safer crossing for their children. With the speed limit at

45 mph, parents figured some drivers were regularly going 50.

“They (students) just need all the help they can get to get across there,” Greathouse said.

Missoula Police Capt. Chris Odlin said even slow drivers need to pay attention, but the lowered speed limit on Reserve should help.

“It’s a street that definitely needs more attention,” Odlin said. “And the speed limit dropping right there is obviously a good thing around the school and around the crosswalk.”

He did not believe the transition would lead to rear-end crashes. In front of Russell School, the limit drops from 35 mph to 25 mph, and has for a long time without those problems, he said.

“I wouldn’t think that’s going to be a concern,” Odlin said of rear-enders.

He said police officers will be monitoring the change to see how well it’s working. He himself sat in an unmarked car when the Higgins-Hill-Beckwith roundabout first opened – not to write tickets but to observe.

“We do that just as much as traffic engineers do,” Odlin said.

Watt Levis also said the state agency will keep an eye on the new configuration: “The area will be monitored through crash reports as well as general public comment.”

Children push a button to cross Reserve, and she said the signal earlier was calibrated to allow those pedestrians more time to cross.

The speed limit changes are coming about after requests from Porter parents and Franklin to the Fort Neighborhood Council members, and approval by the Missoula City Council.

“A speed zone investigation done by the Montana Department of Transportation at the request of Mayor John Engen led to MDT officials allowing the city of Missoula to establish a variable speed limit, with signs and beacons supplied at no cost to the city,” said the city news release.

It also said electronic signs will alert drivers to the new speed limit, with one posted at Rosauers for northbound traffic and another posted between Strand and North avenues for southbound traffic.

When school is not in session, the speed limit will be 45 mph.

Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at 523-5262, or at keila.szpaller@

missoulian.com.