Freeway Call-Box Cost Estimate Encourages Officials

Orange County can afford emergency call boxes about every half-mile on its freeways with money available through a newly authorized $1 local surcharge on vehicle registrations, county transportation officials learned Wednesday.

A report analyzing the county’s ability to buy freeway call boxes says the surcharge would pay for about 550 boxes, though the final price would depend on whether regular telephones, cellular phones or radios are used.

Costs for installing call boxes at intervals of half a mile would range from $383,000 for cellular phones to $411,000 for radio call boxes and $700,000 for regular telephones, according to the study prepared by Arthur Young and Co. However, annual operating costs on cellular phones would be $708,000, contrasted with $385,000 for telephones and $319,000 for radios, the report says.

$1 Annual Surcharge

A $1-a-year surcharge on local vehicle registrations would raise about $1.5 million annually, enough to buy the system and operate it, the report concludes.

Some savings might be realized by having a private company install, own and maintain the call boxes and sell the service to a county agency, Arthur Young officials suggested.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” said Brea Mayor Clarice Blamer, a member of the county Transportation Commission who, with Supervisor Harriett Wieder, is evaluating the call-box proposal. “I can’t imagine everybody not being thrilled to death with such a wonderful insurance policy for only one dollar.”

Blamer and Wieder both said they will recommend that the Transportation Commission on Monday begin seeking approval from Orange County cities for a body to administer the system, possibly the commission itself.

Los Angeles County already has call boxes at quarter-mile intervals along its freeways.

Los Angeles County officials report that 15 to 20% of their calls are emergency requests for an ambulance, fire truck or Highway Patrol unit. The rest mainly are about disabled vehicles, but a few are false alarms or requests for information or directions, the Arthur Young report says.

If the call-box program is approved, installation could begin as early as March of 1987, the report says.