Gov. Linda Lingle will announce details of the program early next week, Haraga said. Earlier proposals called for a fleet of roving or dispatched tow trucks to get a car running or taken to the nearest freeway exit with little delay.

"It's just one of those things that makes sense to do," Haraga said.

Haraga said the state plans to contract with a private company to provide the service. The cost of the contract was not known, but previous state budgets had allocated about $1 million for the service. Much of the cost will be covered by the federal government. There will be no cost to motorists who get help, hesaid.

The patrols had been proposed several years ago but delayed while city and state officials worked out jurisdictional issues, such as who would respond to more serious accidents.

The patrols would not help at major accidents like the one that shut the H-1 Freeway for several hours this week, creating a traffic jam that stretched all the way to Waikiki.

"Major accidents and fatalities will remain under the jurisdiction of the police," Haraga said.

The new service, which is popular and successful in reducing congestion in many Mainland cities, is just one of several ways the state is trying to manage congestion better, Haraga said. In many cases they offer jump starts for dead batteries, or gas for those who need it as well as towing.

The state also has begun a new study of freeway ramp metering, which uses traffic signals to regulate the flow of vehicles entering a freeway through an on-ramp.

"They are a very effective way of smoothing out the traffic on the freeway," Haraga said.

The first meters, probably along the H-1 Freeway in urban Honolulu, could be in place within two years, he said.

"We're doing the studies right now to see where they will work best," he said. "We'll start in town and work out."

The Transportation Department also has begun examining at least five 30-year-old electrical transformers like one that blew out Wednesday night, knocking out traffic signal and streetlight service near Middle Street and Dillingham Boulevard.

"We're looking at all the other transformers in the area, so they won't go down too," he said. The transformers control all street signals and lighting along Nimitz Highway and the H-1 Viaduct near the airport, Haraga said.

"It's a safety issue. We'll replace them if necessary," he said.