Local News in Brief : Countywide : Freeway Call Boxes to Have Debut Today
The first 60 freeway emergency call boxes in Orange County will be activated Friday on the Orange Freeway.
A ceremony marking the event is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Brea Mall, according to county transportation officials.
Stranded motorists will be able to push a button on a pole-mounted cellular telephone that automatically dials a California Highway Patrol operator in Santa Ana.
The call box system, financed through $1 surcharges on vehicle registration fees, will include more than 1,000 telephones placed about a quarter of a mile apart on both sides of 135 miles of freeways throughout the county.
The system is expected to be completed within a year.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
