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Press Releases

You're Invited to the Freeway Service Patrol 10th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, August 17, 2002
Alameda Point (former Alameda Naval Air Station)
Press conference: 9:30 a.m.
On the lawn of the Officers' Club
641 W. Redline Avenue
Alameda

Tow truck rodeo: 10 a.m.
In the parking lot across from the Officers' Club

Directions: See below

For Immediate Release

Freeway Service Patrol Adds Miles, Hours and Trucks to Its Coverage

Six Bay Area counties get expanded roving tow truck service.

Contact:

Jaime Maldonado, MTC SAFE
510.817.5707

Réka Goode, MTC
510.464.7706

OAKLAND, Calif., July 11, 2002...The biggest expansion of the Bay Area Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) roving tow truck service in eight years is getting under way this month. The phased increases will add more than 50 new miles of coverage to the current 394-mile regionwide network, boost the number of hours patrolled by almost 20 percent, and put seven more trucks out on the road for a total of 74. (An additional seven trucks are available for backup.)

"The Freeway Service Patrol provides a vital service, helping to keep traffic moving on some of our region's most congested roadways by quickly clearing accidents, stalls and debris," said Sharon Brown, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE), which oversees the FSP along with the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans.

The number of FSP "beats" (segments of coverage) in the Bay Area will jump from 30 to 33 on July 22. Two of those beats -- comprising a total of more than 30 miles -- and four new tow trucks will be added to the FSP safety net in Santa Clara County alone, linking existing beats and extending the FSP's reach on segments of U.S. Highway 101 and State Route 85 where traffic has been burgeoning. Another new beat will close an 11-plus-mile gap in service on U.S. Highway 101 in Sonoma County.

On the Peninsula, an existing beat has been extended to cover State Route 92 between Interstate 280 and U.S. Highway 101, while in the East Bay, a second truck and three more miles will be added to an existing beat along Interstate 580 between Castro Valley and Pleasanton on July 15. On July 1, one more truck was added to each of two other existing beats -- on U.S. Highway 101 in Marin County and Interstates 280 and 380 in San Mateo County.

Another existing beat will be extended starting Oct. 6 -- the FSP will patrol an additional six miles along the Interstate 580 approach to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. At that time, another truck will join the two already roaming Interstate 80 east of the bridge, and current weekday commute period and midday hours will be expanded along both the old and new portions of the beat to include Sunday afternoons (1 p.m. to 7 p.m.).

Other service improvements already launched or on the way include extended hours of operation. Both morning and evening weekday hours have been extended on segments of Interstate 880 and State Route 84 in Alameda County and will be extended on State Routes 4 and 242 in Contra Costa County as of July 15. Weekday morning hours have been stretched on portions of Interstate U.S. Highway 101 and State Route 237 in Santa Clara County, and Sunday afternoon hours added. Sunday service also will be initiated on the new Santa Clara County beat on U.S. Highway 101. In San Mateo County, some areas of U.S. Highway 101 and State Route 92 are seeing longer peak period morning and evening coverage as well as new midday hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

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. The FSP has consistently received high marks from travelers who have been assisted -- an average of 93 percent deem the service "excellent," the highest rating on the survey forms motorists fill out.

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.

DOWNLOAD a table listing of all the changes in service mentioned in this release (PDF)

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

Directions to press conference:

Take Interstate 880 to Oakland.

Going south, take exit toward Broadway/Alameda. Stay straight to go onto Union St. Turn right on 7th Street, then turn right onto Broadway.

Going north, take Broadway exit toward downtown. Keep left at the fork in the ramp. Turn left onto Broadway.

From Broadway, turn left to take the ramp toward Alameda. Stay straight to go through the Webster Street Tube. Once in Alameda, turn right on Atlantic Avenue, then right on Main Street. Turn left on Lexington Avenue to enter the former naval base. Veer left then turn left on W. Redline. The Officers' Club is on the left side of the street. Parking is on the left, behind the club.


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