Incident Response

Highways in the State of Washington are operating at or above capacity and a blocked highway lane can result in miles of backups and long delays. A large portion of all congestion on urban freeways is caused by collisions, disabled vehicles, spills, and other events that impede the normal flow of traffic. As a result, four to ten minutes of traffic congestion (depending on the volume of traffic on the road) can result from every minute a lane remains blocked.

The average Washington motorist spends two weeks of every year stuck in traffic so it's easy to see why the Incident Response Team (IRT) serves a crucial role in keeping Washington on the move. IRT staff are a specially trained group of WSDOT maintenance employees who respond to blocking incidents on our state's freeways and highways. Their main function is to clear roads and help drivers and restore the normal flow of traffic as safely and quickly as possible.

Incident Response (IR) Program takes off
Since 1963, WSDOT tow and push trucks have been clearing blockages on the Mercer Island and Evergreen Point floating bridges in a “roving” mode during peak traffic periods. In 1990, IRT was highlighted as a pilot program during the Goodwill Games. In 2000, WSDOT implemented a small pilot Service Patrol program (six additional roving units), contracting with Washington State Patrol (WSP) and private tow companies.

Expansion of the IR program in July, 2002, mobilized serveral IRT units from a 24/7 “call-out” mode to a peak traffic period “roving” mode; it also doubled WSDOT’s IRT fleet to 38 vehicles, adding 19 new “roving” peak traffic period units.

The 2002 expansion was reauthorized by the 2003 state legislature, enabling the formal establishment of a statewide IR program partnership between WSDOT, WSP, private tow companies, and media sponsored “motorist assistance van”. The “roving” mode during peak traffic periods, has resulted in IR program units clearing roads and helping drivers, by simply driving upon an incident the majority of times, reducing incident clearance times. The expansion has also increased the WSDOT IRT 24/7 call-out capabilities.

Safety is priority number one
Motorist and incident scene safety is the IR program’s top priority. This priority is accomplished through safe, quick responses and incident clearance. Any incident has the potential for creating secondary incidents such as vehicles running out of fuel or overheating, or collisions that occur in the backup as a result of lane changing and rapid braking. The quicker the original incident is cleared, the less time motorists and response personnel are exposed to traffic hazards and the possibility of secondary collision.

What assistance does IR program provide?
Incident Response Team (IRT) personnel are available for call-out to respond to major incidents 24-hours a day, seven days a week to provide traffic control, traffic rerouting, mobile communications, and assistance in incident clearance and clean up. IRT personnel work closely with other WSDOT Maintenance personnel, when heavy equipment is needed at an incident scene. Roving IR units, operating during peak traffic periods, help motorists with a flat tire, jump starts, a gallon of gas, re-locate blocking vehicles, and many other types of incident assistance.

IRT members are also frequently asked to make presentations about their work and equipment at area schools, local organizations, and other emergency response agencies.

Who else is involved with Incident Response?

• Washington State Patrol Troopers, Communication Center personnel and Cadets
• Local fire departments, police, and emergency medical service providers
• Private tow truck companies
• WSDOT Traffic Management Center (TMC) personnel
• WSDOT maintenance crews (providing equipment and traffic control as needed)
• Privately sponsored motorist assistance vans
• Dept. of Ecology and US Coast Guard (when spill clean-up is necessary)

Examples of training IR members receive:

• Two days of classroom training (first aid, flagging operations, communication procedures, standard operating procedures, departmental expectations)
• Ride-along training with experienced IR drivers to understand proper operations
• Cross-training rides with Washington State Patrol troopers
• Cross training visits to WSDOT Traffic Management Centers (TMC) and Washington State Patrol Communication Centers
• Hazardous material specialist training for petroleum products

Where are Incident Response units roving during peak traffic periods?

• Bellevue - I-405 
•  Bellingham - I-5
• Bothell - I-405
• Chehalis/Centralia – I-5
• Everett - I-5 & US-2
• Evergreen Pt. Floating Bridge - SR520
• Federal Way/ SeaTac/Tukwila - I-5
• Fort Lewis vicinity - I-5
• Kent/Auburn - SR167
• Lynnwood - I-5
• Mercer Island Floating Bridge/Tunnels - I-90
• Mount Vernon - I-5
• Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater -I-5 & US-101
• Parkland/So. Tacoma - SR512 & SR167
• Port Orchard/Bremerton/Gig Harbor - SR16 & SR3
• Renton/Tukwila - I-405
• Seattle Express Lanes - I-5
• Seattle (downtown) - I-5
• Seattle (north end) - I-5
• Snoqualmie Pass - I-90
• Stevens Pass – US-2
• Spokane - I-90
• Tacoma (downtown) - I-5
• Tacoma Narrows Bridge vicinity - SR16
• Totem Lake - I-405
• So. Thurston Co. – I-5
• Vancouver - I-5, I-205, SR14, & SR500

Who do you call for assistance?
If involved in a collision, disabled vehicle, or other emergency dial 9 1 1.

How do you obtain Traveler Information?

• For traveler information dial 511
• Traffic information: www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/

Want more information about WSDOT's Incident Response Team?