A new program to help drivers stranded on Interstate 93 already has helped more than 30 people.
Between May 1 and 5, the New Hampshire service patrols responded to 31 incidents, according to Bill Boynton, spokesman for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
The latest figures tracking responses by the service patrols have not yet been compiled, Boynton said.
The service patrols are part of a new effort to help drivers stuck in heavy traffic on I-93 between Exit 3 and the Massachusetts border.
The $64,500 pilot program, which will run for six months, started May 1. During peak commuter hours, a state transportation agency pickup truck patrols the roadway looking for motorists who might need help. The truck's driver is able to respond to minor emergencies: a flat tire, a dead battery, a car that has run out of gas.
In the first few days of the program, Boynton said, the trucks responded to exactly those kinds of emergencies: flat tires and dead batteries.
The drivers also removed debris from the highway, he said.
The patrols came about as an effort to speed up traffic as construction work moves forward on I-93. The state is trying to expand the highway, from two lanes to four, along a 20-mile stretch from Salem to Manchester.
And because the New Hampshire program is tied to the I-93 widening project, 80 percent of its cost will ultimately be paid for by the federal government, according to project manager Peter Stamnas.
New Hampshire's service patrols are similar to the Massachusetts CaresVans, which help drivers stranded on Bay State highways. In 2004, the CaresVans helped 17,000 motorists, according to that program's Web site.
