July 21, 2008
CDOT’S COURTESY PATROL PROVIDES DENVER METRO
DRIVERS WITH ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
DENVER— The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) does more than just build and maintain Colorado’s highways. In fact, CDOT has numerous programs that focus on safety and mobility to ensure our highway system is effective. The Mile High Courtesy Patrol is one of those programs designed to improve mobility by providing roadside assistance to motorists on Denver’s most heavily-traveled highways.
“This is a great program for all motorists traveling in Denver as it not only provides free assistance to motorists in need, but it also helps keep the highways clear of additional problems so that traffic can flow more smoothly,” said CDOT Traffic Engineer Steve Hersey. “Since the program brings many benefits to the traveling public, we continue to expand the program. In fact, in the last year, we added a dedicated patrol for the I-25 Express Lanes to ensure carpools, buses and toll-paying customers continue to have a free-flowing, reliable choice.”
The Courtesy Patrol runs Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, during peak periods, 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and provides services free of charge to those motorists traveling on the following segments:
I-25 HOV/tolled Express Lanes
I-25 between 104th Avenue and C-470
C-470 between I-25 and Wadsworth Boulevard
I-225 between I-70 and I-25
I-70 between Sheridan Boulevard and Pena Boulevard
6th Avenue between Kipling Street and Kalamath Street
US 36 between I-25 and 104th Avenue
The highways are divided into ten segments with two trucks running on each segment, one in each direction. The trucks continuously drive the corridor looking for disabled vehicles. The trucks also respond to requests made by the Colorado State Patrol, local police or CDOT’s Traffic Operations Center.
In the last year, July 1, 2007 through July 10, 2008, the Courtesy Patrol has responded to 10,872 incidents. The busiest segment is on I-25 between 104th Avenue and 23rd Avenue. Some of the services provided by Courtesy Patrol drivers include flat tire repair, fuel or water transfer, jump start, towing, accident scene protection and minor mechanical assistance.
The top five services rendered are:
The Courtesy Patrol program began in 1992 and included only six segments and 63 miles of highway. The program has now expanded to include 10 segments and 85 miles of highway.