Program slashes time it takes to clear Phoenix-area freeway crashes

PHOENIX — A multi-agency project reduced the time it took to clear crashes on Phoenix-area freeways by more than an hour, according to an analysis released Monday.

When the three-year pilot program began in October 2014, it was taking an average of 86 minutes to clear the roadways after accidents and 106.5 minutes for troopers to finish working the scenes.

After three years, those times were down to 13.4 minutes to clear the road and 39.1 minutes for the troopers to move on.

The program placed Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers inside the Arizona Department of Transportation Traffic Operations Center.

That allowed troopers to monitor incidents through ADOT cameras and quickly determine the best response plans.

“Not only have roadway clearance times improved, but the incident clearance times — when troopers have completed their investigation and left the scene — have also improved by more than an hour,” DPS Director Frank Milstead said in a news release.

“That means our troopers are back on their way more quickly and ready to respond to the next incident.”

The pilot program was funded by the Maricopa Association of Governments and ADOT.

ADOT Director John Halikowski said it worked so well that his department would fully fund permanent placement of troopers at the operations center and expand the coverage area to the entire state.

“The results show this has been one of the best proven investments by MAG and ADOT for improving public safety and freeway traffic operations,” Halikowski said in the release.

In addition to reducing traffic congestion, clearing crashes faster reduced the risk of secondary collisions.

“Despite the number of crashes on Valley freeways going up, the time to clear crashes was reduced every year. … That quicker response reduces the time motorists are stuck in traffic and makes freeway driving safer for all of us,” Buckey Mayor and MAG Chair Jackie Meck said in the release.

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