Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Freeway Service Patrol Extends Service Hours on Sunol Grade

Escalating congestion elicits increased coverage

CONTACT:

Reka Goode, MTC SAFE
510.464.7706

Marjorie Blackwell, MTC SAFE
510.464.7884

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 27, 2000...In response to growing traffic congestion on Interstate 680 between Pleasanton and San Jose, the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) roving tow truck service has lengthened the hours it patrols this portion of I-680, also known as the Sunol Grade.

With 50 percent of congestion attributable to accidents and other incidents, the FSP's goal is to quickly get disabled vehicles, debris and other safety hazards out of highway lanes and thereby improve the flow of traffic.

Starting Dec. 4, FSP trucks are now out on the road an hour earlier than before between Stoneridge Drive in Pleasanton and Scott Creek Road in Fremont (5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m.) and an hour and a half earlier (5:30 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.) on the leg of I-680 between Scott Creek and U.S. Highway 101. The northern (Stoneridge–Scott Creek) segment continues to be patrolled until 10 a.m., while the southern segment is now getting a half hour more service than before, extending the patrol to 9:30 a.m.

(Traffic levels in the afternoon peak period have remained relatively stable, so that FSP hours continue to be 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the northern portion of the "beat," and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the southern.)

Administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE) and operated in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Caltrans, the FSP operates primarily during peak commute hours in most Bay Area counties; weekend service is provided along Highway 17 in Santa Clara County during the summer months. A fleet of 65 trucks — 54 tow trucks, four pickup trucks and two flatbeds (plus five back-up trucks) — now patrol approximately 362 miles of the region's most congested freeways.

FSP drivers currently stop an average of more than 9,000 times a month to clear accidents, assist stranded motorists, remove dangerous road debris, tag abandoned vehicles and otherwise help to make the region's freeways safer and less congested. FSP drivers attempt to get stalled autos running within a few minutes by providing basic services free of charge such as changing a tire, jump-starting a battery, taping hoses or providing a gallon of fuel. If that doesn't work, the vehicle is towed to the nearest CHP-identified location off the freeway at no cost to the owner.

The FSP program is paid for by a variety of federal, state and local funds, including part of a $1-per-vehicle annual registration fee assessed to Bay Area motorists.

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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