Road Ranger emergency assistance services in the Jacksonville area have expanded into three additional counties through a sponsorship from the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), according to a TPO spokesperson.
The state agency is expanding services into St. Johns, Nassau and Baker counties. The Road Rangers previously operated only in Duval County on I-10, I-95, I-295, S.R. 9A and J. Turner Butler Boulevard. The new service areas will extend along I-95 to International Golf Parkway in St. Johns County, along I-95 to S.R. 200 in Nassau County and along I-10 to S.R. 228 in Baker County. Twenty-six new miles of highway have been added to the routes, making a total of 149 miles covered by Road Rangers in Northeast Florida.
The TPO is providing $500,000 a year for the next three years to operate the Road Rangers, who offer free highway assistance services during incidents to reduce delays and improve safety for motorists and responders. The services include clearing disabled vehicles from travel lanes, assisting with jump-starts and tire changes and making minor repairs. The Road Rangers also help with maintaining safety and traffic flow around incident scenes.
“The North Florida TPO is very pleased to provide financial support for this very worthwhile program,” said Jeff Sheffield, executive director of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization.
He said, “Highway safety is a vital part of the TPO’s mission. The Jacksonville area is growing, and efficiency on the roadways is important. The Road Rangers are part of this function to help motorists and clear roadways as quickly as possible. We welcome the opportunity to work with our partners at the Florida Department of Transportation to provide this service.”
The TPO sponsorship means improved communications with the Florida Highway Patrol for handling incidents. A new communication system is allowing Road Rangers to talk directly to FHP officers handling an incident in a congested area instead of going through a third-party communication center. This will help save time when clearing traffic backups caused by incidents and disabled vehicles. New communications devices used by Road Rangers and FHP officers will have direct channels, eliminating the need to rely on communications centers at the FHP or the Florida DOT.
The Road Ranger hours will remain the same, Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on holidays which have higher than normal traffic volumes.
The Road Ranger budget in Jacksonville is $1.1 million a year with about $600,000 coming from the Florida DOT. The TPO logo is being placed on Road Ranger vehicles. The assistance from the TPO started July 1.
Road Rangers in the Jacksonville area handle about 1,600 calls a month.
Southern Wrecker & Recovery Services of Jacksonville has a contract with the FDOT to provide Road Rangers in Northeast Florida. The company is pursuing sponsorships with other organizations to expand the roadway assistance.
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