Does your state still have roadside emergency call boxes?

[Pink Jazz]

With most people now having cell phones, many states have removed most of their roadside emergency call boxes.  I was wondering, does your state still have them?

Here in Arizona, the few that remain seem to be located on rural, non-interstate highways.  I presume the reason for keeping them in those areas is due to weak cell phone coverage.

[US71]

With most people now having cell phones, many states have removed most of their roadside emergency call boxes.  I was wondering, does your state still have them?

Here in Arizona, the few that remain seem to be located on rural, non-interstate highways.  I presume the reason for keeping them in those areas is due to weak cell phone coverage.

Arkansas never had them, but the Prairie Grove phone booth is back in action

[jeffandnicole]

The PA Turnpike is mandated to keep them.  There was a story in the Philly Inquirer not too long ago about that. 

[Brandon]

The only part of Illinois that had them was Metro East (St Clair & Madison Counties).  Chicagoland has never had them as far as I know.

[Rainking75]

Massachusetts used to have them on I-91 for the whole length through the state, and I believe I-495 had them as well.

[cl94]

New York did (and may still) have them every two miles along I-87 in the Adirondacks between Exits 26 and 35. To my knowledge, they have never worked, but the 2006 improvements to the system may have fixed that. This area was a dead zone until pretty recently, as a few nasty accidents north of Exit 30 put political pressure on the Adirondack Park Agency to allow cell towers along state highways.

[PHLBOS]

Massachusetts used to have them on I-91 for the whole length through the state, and I believe I-495 had them as well.

I-95 between the RI State Line and Canton had them as well as I-93 from roughly Woburn to the NH State Line.

[Eth]

I haven't been down that way in a couple years, but as far as I know, Georgia's I-185 still has them.

[vdeane]

New York did (and may still) have them every two miles along I-87 in the Adirondacks between Exits 26 and 35. To my knowledge, they have never worked, but the 2006 improvements to the system may have fixed that. This area was a dead zone until pretty recently, as a few nasty accidents north of Exit 30 put political pressure on the Adirondack Park Agency to allow cell towers along state highways.

They were still there when I was last on the road in 2012.

[doorknob60]

The only place I recall seeing them recently is California. They're all over the place down there.

[pctech]

I haven't seen any here (Louisiana) since the 90's or so I think.

[english si]

The UK (which has a much better cell phone coverage on main roads than the US in general - due to main roads not being as remote) is still using them, even upgrading them and putting new ones when widening motorways.

[roadman]

The UK (which has a much better cell phone coverage on main roads than the US in general - due to main roads not being as remote) is still using them, even upgrading them and putting new ones when widening motorways.

This is likely because the UK also has very strict laws restricting the use of cellphones while driving.

[Rainking75]

Massachusetts used to have them on I-91 for the whole length through the state, and I believe I-495 had them as well.

I-95 between the RI State Line and Canton had them as well as I-93 from roughly Woburn to the NH State Line.

Forgot about the ones on I-95 and I-93. Now I'm wondering if there were any on I-190 or I-195...

[SSOWorld]

California still has them and (I think) they still work.  Though they are mostly on the freeways - urban and rural. Any cell phone call to 911 in CA is answered by the CHP

Wisconsin - never had em.

[roadfro]

Nevada never had a whole lot of call boxes. There's a couple on US 50, between Lake Tahoe and Carson City that have been there for a while. NDOT installed a bunch as part of a widening project along I-15 between the California state line/Primm and the south end of the Las Vegas Valley back in the mid 2000s--the spacing emulates those seen in California. Other than those examples, I can't think of any more in Nevada at all.

[hotdogPi]

The ones on I-93 were removed not because of people using cellphones, but because there was a time that they didn't work, resulting in someone's death. (Saying any more would give away who I am.)

[PHLBOS]

Massachusetts used to have them on I-91 for the whole length through the state, and I believe I-495 had them as well.

I-95 between the RI State Line and Canton had them as well as I-93 from roughly Woburn to the NH State Line.

Forgot about the ones on I-95 and I-93. Now I'm wondering if there were any on I-190 or I-195...

I-190 never had them.  OTOH, I-195 from the RI State Line to the Braga Bridge might have had them.  Call Box installations along Interstates in MA seemed to be a late 60s/early 70s thing; I-190 came well after such.

[hbelkins]

The ones on I-93 were removed not because of people using cellphones, but because there was a time that they didn't work, resulting in someone's death. (Saying any more would give away who I am.)

Huh?

[hotdogPi]

The ones on I-93 were removed not because of people using cellphones, but because there was a time that they didn't work, resulting in someone's death. (Saying any more would give away who I am.)

Huh?

June 30, 2006. Someone I know had a flat tire between exits 41 and 42 on I-93 north. He couldn't get it fixed. He tried using the call boxes twice, but they didn't work (the people working for the call boxes ignored it). At 9:45 PM, someone crashed into him on the side of the road and he died. Because the call boxes did not do anything useful, they were removed.

[Zeffy]

June 30, 2006. Someone I know had a flat tire between exits 41 and 42 on I-93 north. He couldn't get it fixed. He tried using the call boxes twice, but they didn't work (the people working for the call boxes ignored it). At 9:45 PM, someone crashed into him on the side of the road and he died. Because the call boxes did not do anything useful, they were removed.

That sounds like negligent homicide to me because the call operators ignored a man who later then died. That sucks either way.

[Brandon]

(Saying any more would give away who I am.)

Bah.  We really don't worry too much about that here as we do get together from time to time.  Check out the road meet section for more.

[jdbx]

I'm not sure about other parts of California, but around the Bay Area most of the call boxes have been removed.  The poles on which they were mounted remain, with a sign posted saying to dial 511 for roadside assistance.  I think they used to have a call box every 1/4 mile, but now I would estimate the spacing to be closer to ever 1-1.5 miles.

The one and only time I attempted to use a call box, which was around 1997 on CA-4 over the Willow Pass, the thing was completely dead and useless.  I had to hike down the hill and use a pay phone (another thing that is slowly disappearing).

[roadman]

The ones on I-93 were removed not because of people using cellphones, but because there was a time that they didn't work, resulting in someone's death. (Saying any more would give away who I am.)

Huh?

June 30, 2006. Someone I know had a flat tire between exits 41 and 42 on I-93 north. He couldn't get it fixed. He tried using the call boxes twice, but they didn't work (the people working for the call boxes ignored it). At 9:45 PM, someone crashed into him on the side of the road and he died. Because the call boxes did not do anything useful, they were removed.

MassHighway was already in the process of reviewing the need for call boxes when this happened.  All this incident did was to accellerate the removal of the call boxes from Massachusetts highways entirely.

[hbelkins]

June 30, 2006. Someone I know had a flat tire between exits 41 and 42 on I-93 north. He couldn't get it fixed. He tried using the call boxes twice, but they didn't work (the people working for the call boxes ignored it). At 9:45 PM, someone crashed into him on the side of the road and he died. Because the call boxes did not do anything useful, they were removed.

Saying that didn't do anything to reveal your identity.

--broken quote fix --sso