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Relax, Interstate 85 motorists. North Carolina's yellow trucks have you covered.
The N.C. Department of Transportation says it is increasing the coverage and schedule of its Incident Management Assistant Patrol (IMAP) trucks and will now be available to help motorists on I-85 from the South Carolina line to the Virginia border.
The yellow IMAP trucks soon will be patrolling the interstate on weekends, too, the DOT says.
"By putting more IMAP drivers in more places, we can better help stranded motorists with flat tires get back on the road again -- or remove stalled vehicles out of the roadway, to prevent congestion and accidents," said Jeron Monroe, an N.C. DOT Regional Intelligent Transportation System engineer.
The changes will put IMAP drivers on I-85 in three counties previously not served -- Rowan, Davidson and Randolph.
Coverage in that area is important because of the major expansion and bridge replacement project on I-85 in Rowan and Davidson counties.
"We know that every minute a stalled car sits in a travel lane, it creates at least four minutes of traffic back up and can trigger accidents," said Brian Purvis, an N.C. DOT state incident management engineer.
IMAP drivers direct traffic while the state troopers and local law enforcement officers handle crash scenes. The IMAP drivers also carry vehicle jacks, jumper cables and other tools for stranded motorists. The service was started more than 20 years ago in Haywood County and is now offered on a number of the state's interstate and other major highways.
The DOT says it plans to begin offering weekend service in September.
