FACT SHEET

SAN DIEGO FREEWAY SERVICE PATROL
January 2001

---

OVERALL GOALS

• Alleviate traffic congestion on urban freeways
• Reduce traffic delay and accidents caused by stranded or disabled vehicles
• To provide safe emergency roadside service and towing
• To improve the overall efficiency of freeway operations for the motoring public.

FREEWAY SERVICE PATROL

The Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) program was designed to alleviate incident related traffic congestion by operating a tow service to aid stranded or disabled vehicles on urban freeways during the morning and afternoon commuter periods. The FSP commonly performs tasks such as: changing a flat tire, jump-starting vehicles, providing gas, or towing disabled vehicles. Early removal of disabled vehicles reduces congestion. Any impediment along the roadside can cause a freeway operating at capacity to breakdown into stop and go traffic. Directly supervising the project is the California Highway Patrol (CHP) who have established safe prearranged drop sites for the disabled vehicles.

PROGRAM

The program was organized through a cooperative effort between Caltrans, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Border Division. The first two San Diego FSP patrol routes opened on March 19, 1993. Since then the freeway service patrol has been expanded to seven patrol routes covering 203.3 miles of freeway and using 26 trucks. The FSP program is a highly visible congestion relief strategy, which has been used successfully over the past few years statewide.

HOURS OF OPERATION

The Freeway Service Patrol operates during the morning and evening commute hours, 5:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m., 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year (excluding specified holidays).

PATROL ROUTES

The Freeway Service Patrol operates on eleven freeway segments, on interstates 5, 8, 15 and 805 (I-5, I-8, I-15 and I-805) and state routes 52, 54, 94, 78, 125, 163, 905 (SR-52, SR-54, SR-94, SR-78, SR-125, SR-163, SR-905). Freeway Service Patrol route map is located on back of this page.

FUNDING

In September in 1992, the Freeway Service Patrol Act, Assembly Bill 3346, added some conditions to use of State FSP funds. It stipulated that a local agency would be required to match 25 percent of the funds provided by the State. In December of 1992, San Diego Association of Governments allocated funding for the required 25% of the funds with the remaining 75% from Caltrans. Now in its ninth year, state funding for this program has increased to $2.36 million.