Toll Agency to Patch Cell Phone Void

That black hole that cell phone users enter into--otherwise known as the Eastern toll road--may no longer be a problem as early as next year, a spokesman for the toll road agencies said Monday.

“We’re well on the way to providing cell phone services out there, and we’ve targeted the fourth quarter of the year 2000 to have service available,” said Jon Ramirez, manager of toll operations.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer wanted to pass a resolution at today’s board meeting urging the toll road agencies and cell phone providers to find a solution, but pulled the item from the agenda late Monday after learning that negotiations had begun.

Spotty service, or no service at all, has long been a source of contention among cell phone users traveling the Eastern toll road and the San Joaquin Hills toll road. Spitzer said he has experienced the problem firsthand, when he has been forced to pull off the road and find a pay phone because of service interruptions.

Access to cell phone service is not only a matter of convenience but a matter of safety, Spitzer said.

In September, board members of the toll road agencies passed a resolution saying that driving the roads was “less than satisfactory” because of the interrupted cell phone service.

Transportation officials have known of the problem for some time. They blamed the delay in part on estimates that it would cost the agency $6 million to bring all of the county’s 51 miles of toll road into the cellular era.

But at least one cell phone provider says the corridor agency has been slow to provide electrical power and help with safe freeway access for cell phone company technicians.

“We’ve asked Caltrans and the [Transportation Corridor Agencies] to provide electrical power and freeway access for us,” said Steven Crosby, a vice president for external affairs for AT&T; Wireless. “We need that before we can put up our service. Right now there’s no place to place our antennas, and we need access so we won’t endanger our workers.”

Crosby said the industry is “ready, willing and able” to begin service: “From an industry standpoint, we’re losing money by not being able to provide service in that area.” At least eight antenna sites have been selected and approved by a consortium of the region’s five cellular providers and the toll road agency. These eight sites will provide coverage along the entire toll road from the Riverside Freeway south to Tomato Springs Toll Plaza, including a branch of the Portola Freeway down to Portola Parkway.

“The cell phone carriers are working on the final design of the sites with Caltrans,” said Barbara Daly, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

The site designs are under Caltrans review, said Rose Orem, a Caltrans spokeswoman. Caltrans has expressed concern because some of the sites will require encroachment permits, which could lengthen the approval process.

“But since this is a safety issue for disabled motorists, we are working diligently with the Transportation Corridor Agencies,” Orem said.