Freeway aid patrol to roll by summer

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The state's plan to offer free help to stalled motorists on O'ahu's freeways will be a major step in battling the island's traffic congestion, Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday.

"It's going to have a big impact on all the day-to-day stalls that occur on the highways," Lingle said.

Lingle said the state hopes to have the first phase of the $2 million project out to bid early in the year and running by late summer. Eighty-percent of the money for the project will come from the federal government, she said.

Under the new service, roving tow trucks, spaced about 10 minutes apart, will patrol the H-1 and Moanalua freeways and respond quickly to minor accidents and stalled vehicles.

The tow truck drivers will either offer free services to get a car moving, such as gas or a battery charge, or tow the stalled vehicle to a safe location near a freeway off-ramp, transportation director Rod Haraga said. Individual drivers will still be responsible for getting their vehicle fixed or moved after that, he said.

"The idea is to get you off the freeway as quickly as possible so traffic can get flowing again. Even if a car is stalled on the shoulder of a road, the rest of traffic tends to slow down," Lingle said.

The service, free to motorists, will operate between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays and begin with six tow trucks ranging the H-1 Freeway and Moanalua Freeway from the Waiawa Interchange to Middle Street. The program will later be expanded to Ainakoa Avenue and eventually will include all of O'ahu's freeways.

In addition to towing and offering motorists assistance, the Freeway Service Patrol will remove debris from highways, notify emergency personnel of accidents and deploy traffic control equipment in accident cases involving less than $1,000 worth of damage. Police will remain in charge of more serious incidents.

"It was a matter of all the little details getting resolved," Police Chief Boisse Correa said of the program. "I'm confident that it's finally going to be ready to roll later this year."

Lingle also said the state is studying freeway ramp metering and a plan to synchronize more traffic signals as other ways to relieve congestion on O'ahu.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5460.

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