HARRISBURG – Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley joined PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary for Administration Brad Mallory yesterday for an event to announce the department’s first sponsorship effort made possible by the Public-Private Partnership law Gov. Tom Corbett signed in 2012.
State Farm has agreed to a three-year contract to sponsor PennDOT’s roving safety patrol offering free motorist assistance on select expressways in the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions. The sponsorship will offset nearly 11 percent of PennDOT’s roughly $4 million annual cost to operate the service, which is now named the State Farm Safety Patrol.
“This sponsorship is a testament to how public-private partnerships can deliver benefits for the Commonwealth and businesses, but most importantly, to taxpayers,” Cawley said. “When Governor Corbett signed the P3 law, it opened the door to continued cost savings and improved services for our customers.”
The patrol assists motorists with towing, jump starts, flat tire repair and more on all or portions of heavily traveled roads during the business week. Those roads include:
- Lehigh and Northampton counties: Interstate 78, U.S. 22, Route 33 and Route 309;
- Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties: Interstates 76, 95, 476 and 676, U.S. 1, U.S. 30, U.S. 202, U.S. 422, Route 63 and Route 309;
- Cumberland, Dauphin and York counties: Interstates 81 and 83, and Route 581 comprising the Capital Beltway and its approaches;
- and Allegheny County: Interstates 79, 279 and 376 and the Liberty Tunnel.
In 2013, the patrols assisted a total of 17,612 motorists.
“PennDOT is committed to making traveling in Pennsylvania as safe and efficient as possible, which includes helping motorists in their time of need,” Mallory said. “This partnership is helping us continue this beneficial service while reducing costs.”
As part of the sponsorship program, existing patrol vehicles will receive an updated look including the State Farm logo and enhanced, highly-reflective safety markings to increase visibility to motorists.
“The State Farm Safety Patrol program underscores the State Farm commitment to auto safety and embodies our ‘good neighbor’ philosophy,” said Christopher Gude, vice president agency, State Farm. “We are proud to sponsor this important program. It helps people to recover from the unexpected, which is the heart of the State Farm mission.”
Motorists who are assisted by the patrol can share their stories on social media using the hashtag #AssistPatrol.
To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Public-Private Partnership program for transportation, visit www.P3forPA.pa.gov.
