TIFTON, Ga. — Coordinated Highway Assistance & Maintenance Program (CHAMP) operators are patrolling Interstate 75 from Florida to the Crisp/Dooly line, looking for maintenance issues that could impact safe travel and motorists who need help.

CHAMP is the first service of its kind nationwide because it combines motorist assistance and maintenance support. The Georgia Department of Transportation service is being phased in throughout the state on most interstates outside Metro Atlanta. The CHAMP launch for the 31 counties in Georgia DOT’s southwest district was held Tuesday in Tifton.

CHAMP trucks carry tool boxes, air compressors and enough fuel, including diesel, to get a driver to the nearest gas station. Operators can also jump batteries. They’ll check to see if vehicles in the emergency lane or shoulder are occupied and if the driver needs assistance. They tag abandoned vehicles with a sticker with instructions to call if help is needed. They also patrol the welcome center and rest areas looking for motorists with car trouble. Motorists who need CHAMP assistance or want to report a road hazard should call 511.

The motorist assistance will also benefit local law enforcement, Georgia State Patrol Tifton post commander SFC Thomas Massey said. Last year troopers logged 513 motorist assistance calls in just two counties along I-75 and have handled 87 so far this year, he said. Massey called CHAMP one of the better programs to come to southwest Georgia, and not just because it will take some of the load off troopers.

“We can save lives,” he said, noting the importance of getting people off the road quickly.

Operators are trained in traffic control and can assist law enforcement to clear lanes as soon as possible when there is a crash or other traffic incident. CHAMP trucks have push bumpers to move vehicles out of the lane of traffic, electronic message boards to alert motorists of road issues and cones to block lanes of traffic.

“Our goals on this are, number one, safety,” which includes law enforcement and other first responders as well as the public, said Brian Purvis, Senior Transportation Operations Engineer with AECOM. Georgia DOT has contracted with AECOM to provide the CHAMP service. “We can protect those responders so they can do their jobs more efficiently,” Purvis said.

On the maintenance side, operators provide immediate notification about bridge or roadway damage, downed signs, missing markings, signal malfunctions and commercial vehicle crashes and spills. They also clear clogged drains, clean up minor non-hazardous spills and remove debris, vegetative growth and abandoned vehicles.

“Maintenance issues can affect safe travel,” Georgia DOT Southwest District Engineer Chad Hartley said. “A clogged drain during a heavy rain can cause road flooding. Remnants of tires or other debris on the road can cause a driver to suddenly swerve or slow down. Our CHAMP operators will help ensure the safety of motorists who travel I-75 by spotting and quickly handling these types of maintenance issues.”

Each CHAMP operator patrols about a 50-mile route. CHAMP patrol shifts are 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., but operators are also on call to provide 24-hour service. This is a year-round service, even on holidays. Operators do not accept tips or payment from the public.

CHAMP is made possible through Georgia’s Transportation Funding Act of 2015. State Transportation Board member and former state legislator Tim Golden said state government cares about rural Georgia and “nothing shows it any better than this program.”

For information about CHAMP, including a route map and statewide implementation schedule, visit www.dot.ga.gov/CHAMP.