Highway emergency call boxes.

[ColossalBlocks]

What states are these most common in?

Example: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198272329052/screenshots/?appid=270880

[oscar]

Example: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198272329052/screenshots/?appid=270880

I just see a lot of truck photos, no examples of call boxes. Next time, pick out the specific image you want to use, place its address inside image tags (like I've done below, as you can see in the preview box if you quote this post) so it displays in your post, and use the "preview" button to make sure you got it right.

Try this (in Hawaii, which tends to mimic Caltrans including its similar callboxes):

[Rothman]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

[hotdogPi]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

So did I-93 and I-495. The ones on I-93 got removed because of a crash resulting in the death of someone I knew, and I was there at the time. The crash happened about two hours after pulling over for a flat tire. The person at the call box ignored it the first time, and since it wasn't cleared, it didn't go through the second time.

[oscar]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

Hawaii still uses them, especially in isolated areas (like HI 200 within the Army base in the middle of the Big Island) with no cellphone service. I'm not sure what Caltrans is doing with its callboxes (though I did see one in February 2016 on unsigned CA 259 in San Bernadino), or Hawaiii DOT or Maui County are doing with their boxes in more urban areas.

I don't think Quebec routinely uses them, but has some on the remote QC 389 between Baie Comeau and Labrador City. For the Trans-Labrador Highway which continues from the north end of QC 389, last I was there in 2011, the provincial transportation department was lending satellite phones to travelers (programmed so you could only call the Royal Canadian Mounted Police), with hotels at both ends designated as pickup and dropoff points.

[kalvado]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

I believe I-87 Northway had them for a while since there was no cell coverage. Not sure what is the current status, but I had an impression they pressed for some cell towers after someone froze to death after their car broke down.

[RobbieL2415]

I'd have to give the award to California, too.  I also just saw some still standing in and around the NYC area, IIRC on the New England Thruway and the Cross-Bronx.

[roadfro]

Nevada DOT installed some at one-mile intervals on I-15 south of Las Vegas in the mid-2000s. Presumably, this was meant to provide the same type of motorist service Caltrans has had along I-15 for years, at a time where cell phone networks probably hadn't covered that stretch too well. I haven't been out that way in a long time, but Street View still shows the first I-15 northbound call box in place as of July 2016.

NDOT has a couple other isolated instances of call boxes. One example, which far predates the I-15 examples, is on US 50 just east of Golf Club Dr (between SR 28 & US 395), which is placed at a runaway truck ramp.

Hawaii still uses them, especially in isolated areas (like HI 200 within the Army base in the middle of the Big Island) with no cellphone service. I'm not sure what Caltrans is doing with its callboxes (though I did see one in February 2016 on unsigned CA 259 in San Bernadino), or Hawaiii DOT or Maui County are doing with their boxes in more urban areas.

Caltrans appears to be phasing out Call Boxes, at least in some urban areas. On a recent trip to Sacramento and the Bay Area, I noticed several locations where a call box post no longer had the phone equipment. For these locations, the call box sign was replaced with a sign that says "Freeway Assist Call 511" (but still lists the call box/postmile location info on bottom). Street View example from SR 24 east of the Caledcott Tunnels.

I seem to recall discussion that Caltrans would begin phasing out Call Boxes on a larger scale. I can't imagine that keeping the call box network operational at this point is cost effective, based on what I assume would be massive decreases in usage due to the proliferation of cell phones.

[Pink Jazz]

ADOT still has some on a few rural highways, particularly along I-19 and US 93.  Interestingly, the signage for those on I-19 and US 93 are different - I-19 uses a phone symbol, while US 93 uses the words "CALL BOX".  I wonder if the call boxes on I-19 have voice capability, while those on US 93 only have the buttons to notify of a specific emergency service.

[lepidopteran]

Florida used to have them on I-75, every half mile for at least the northernmost 70 miles in the state.  They were located on the mile; in fact I think sometimes the mile marker was mounted on the call-box post.  For myself, it was one of those signs that a Florida vacation was coming to an end when you passed the blue sign reading "End Motorist Aid Call Boxes", just before the Georgia border.

These were taken down circa 2014.

[cpzilliacus]

The Maryland portion of the Capital Beltway (I-495) had them from the 1960's to the 1980's or maybe early 1990's. 

The Pennsylvania Turnpike system still has them, though I think they have considered getting rid of them as recently as in  2015.

[jeffandnicole]

I can't think of any in NJ...at least in South Jersey.  The limited access routes used to have them every 1/2 mile.  I think the AC Expressway was the last road to still use them, but I think they've been gone several years there too.

[PHLBOS]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

So did I-93 and I-495.

Not sure about today, but I-95 south of Canton had (or used to have) them as well.

I believe that much of the PA Turnpike, outside of construction zones, still has them.

[ColossalBlocks]

Example: http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198272329052/screenshots/?appid=270880

I just see a lot of truck photos, no examples of call boxes. Next time, pick out the specific image you want to use, place its address inside image tags (like I've done below, as you can see in the preview box if you quote this post) so it displays in your post, and use the "preview" button to make sure you got it right.

Try this (in Hawaii, which tends to mimic Caltrans including its similar callboxes):

The link didn't go to the right page, did it?

Just click the top left photo.

[texaskdog]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

yeah, great idea...and then everyone has a phone a few years later.  another waste of money.

[jeffandnicole]

They have fallen out of favor due to cell phones.  I-91 had a whole string of them north of Springfield, MA, but I believe they have all been removed.

yeah, great idea...and then everyone has a phone a few years later.  another waste of money.

Can you accurately predict what we will have a few years from now?

[Eth]

The only place they were ever used in Georgia, to my knowledge, was on I-185, placed roughly every mile from somewhere around MM 8 to the north end at I-85. I haven't driven I-185 in several years, so I'm not sure if they're still there or not.

[Beeper1]

I-295 in Rhode Island used to have them.  They were removed in the early 90s.

[Inyomono395]

When I was growing up I used to see call boxes in several places along US 395 in Inyo county and CA 14 north of Mojave.
As others have stated, with the popularity of cell phones caltrans has removed the majority of the call boxes. I believe there might be one left on CA 14 somewhere north of Mojave. Caltrans removed all of the call boxes on US 395 before or during the 4 lane projects during the past couple decades.

[UCFKnights]

Florida used to have them on I-75, every half mile for at least the northernmost 70 miles in the state.  They were located on the mile; in fact I think sometimes the mile marker was mounted on the call-box post.  For myself, it was one of those signs that a Florida vacation was coming to an end when you passed the blue sign reading "End Motorist Aid Call Boxes", just before the Georgia border.

These were taken down circa 2014.

I think nearly all of the south florida had them as well when I was growing up there, I think they were removed around a similar time. I think they were pretty widespread throughout all urban areas throughout the state, along with many rural areas (I remember pondering when I was young how they determined where to put them, seemed like very populated areas and very unpopulated areas got them, and the mid-level would not get them)

[thenetwork]

It looks like what call boxes which remained in Glenwood Canyon on I-70 in Colorado have been removed en masse this spring.  I'll have to take another look next time I am through there.

[jakeroot]

They are exceedingly rare in Washington. Most (all?) of the remaining examples are along I-90 between Rainier Ave and Mercer Island. There were some off the 405 between Bothell and Renton, and 90 east of Bellevue, as well as along the old Narrows Bridge (before twinning) but all have been removed. There were also some along the 395 bridge in Pasco -- also gone.

Some links to examples in and around the Lake Washington floating bridge area...these are just a few. You can click around and find a bunch more. Like in the image below, they are often twinned with one or two other boxes (one for each side of the carriageway). They are rather prolific in the tunnels. I assume due to the higher inherent danger that tunnels pose.

- https://goo.gl/0hsjAi
- https://goo.gl/GgIXF6
- https://goo.gl/HI24tC
- https://goo.gl/0mb2ru
- https://goo.gl/BTJrDP
- https://goo.gl/9vi0ii
- https://goo.gl/tTerYS
- https://goo.gl/0EcNDN

They started being installed in the 90s (around the time that the call boxes above were installed). The plan was to build them out to cover the state, but that obviously never happened: https://goo.gl/CduThX.

WSDOT is evidently not done with "emergency telephones". They are replacing the ones inside of the Mount Baker Tunnels with new ones that include noise cancellation and better volume: https://goo.gl/10tZ4D

WSDOT also replaced some of the emergency telephones along the Aurora Bridge (SR-99) with new, lower boxes. The old ones were mounted higher up (see here): https://goo.gl/EFYd9A

[kalvado]

WSDOT is evidently not done with "emergency telephones". They are replacing the ones inside of the Mount Baker Tunnels with new ones that include noise cancellation and better volume: https://goo.gl/10tZ4D

WSDOT also replaced some of the emergency telephones along the Aurora Bridge (SR-99) with new, lower boxes. The old ones were mounted higher up (see here): https://goo.gl/EFYd9A

I wonder why those locations. I can see a tunnel being a dead zone - but even then there are technologies to cover subway tunnels. Price issue? Cell companies cooperation?
Even less clear issue for the bridge...

[formulanone]

Florida used to have them on I-75, every half mile for at least the northernmost 70 miles in the state.  They were located on the mile; in fact I think sometimes the mile marker was mounted on the call-box post.  For myself, it was one of those signs that a Florida vacation was coming to an end when you passed the blue sign reading "End Motorist Aid Call Boxes", just before the Georgia border.

These were taken down circa 2014.

I think nearly all of the south florida had them as well when I was growing up there, I think they were removed around a similar time. I think they were pretty widespread throughout all urban areas throughout the state, along with many rural areas (I remember pondering when I was young how they determined where to put them, seemed like very populated areas and very unpopulated areas got them, and the mid-level would not get them)

Around 2013, they started to disappear in Florida; I can't recall the last time I saw one. Someone told me once there was a steep fee for using it. I-95 north of Palm Beach, Florida's Turnpike, I-10, and much of I-75 had them. I think the rest areas had them too, but for demonstration purposes.

According to this article, they left a few of them for the Sunshine Skyway Bridge (I-275), as crisis prevention.

[Bickendan]

Oregon never had them (despite what the movie Untraceable implies), so no worries about them being phased out.