VALLEY AREA : 2 Freeways to Get More Call Boxes

Promising long-awaited relief to commuters, Los Angeles County transportation officials said Monday that they plan to nearly double the number of emergency call boxes along the Antelope Valley and northern Golden State freeways by the end of the year.

The planned $1.6-million upgrade will add about 339 solar-powered phones to the network and replace 353 boxes already installed with the newer models.

The work is scheduled this summer and fall, said Susan Youngs, project manager for the county Transportation Commission. When completed, both routes will have phones about every one-quarter of a mile, filling in gaps of several miles in some areas, she said.

The improvements are part of a broader $15-million program to replace all 3,500 freeway call boxes countywide with newer models. The program, due to be finished by next spring, is funded by a $1 surcharge on vehicle registration fees paid by county motorists since 1988.

The 60-mile stretch of the Golden State Freeway between Osborne Street in Pacoima and the Kern County line will get 167 new phones and have 179 replaced. Also, California 126 between the Golden State Freeway and the Ventura County line will get six new phones.

The 50-mile stretch of the Antelope Valley Freeway between the Golden State Freeway and the Kern County line will get 172 new phones and have 174 replaced, she said. California 138 between 96th Street East and the San Bernardino County line will have 23 phones added.

Los Angeles County has the largest and busiest freeway call-box network in the world, logging up to 90,000 calls a month, Youngs said.