HERO program announced
The introduction of the Highway Emergency Response Operator Roadside Assistance Program was held at the Midland County Horseshoe Thursday. The pilot program is expected to start June 1. The initial rollout will focus on Interstate 20 and State Highway 191.
Deborah Richmond, director of of road safety at the Permian Strategic Partnership, said the total funding for two years is $5 million with $3 million coming from PSP and $1 million each from Midland County and the Texas Department of Transportation.
"Our HERO trucks patrol the highway to assist motorists in need and clear minor crashes from the roadways quickly, thereby providing some much-needed relief to our local law enforcement and first responders," said Eric Lykins, TxDOT Odessa District Engineer.
A few of the services provided by the HERO program will include moving disabled vehicles to safety, removing minor crashes from the roadway, providing traffic and lane closures at crash scenes and removing debris from lanes, Lykins said.
Tracee Bentley, president and CEO of PSP, said the introduction of HERO was an exciting moment for the community and an important step toward making the roads safer.
"This absolutely would not be possible without member companies from the Permian Strategic Partnership ... more specifically, our Road Safety Committee, led by Deborah Richmond, our director of road safety. They have worked tirelessly to put this together, along with Midland County and TxDOT," Bentley said.
The HERO Program, she said, is a roadside assistance service designed to improve safety and reduce the risk of secondary accidents and it will be free to motorists.
"These secondary incidents make up one in five traffic accidents nationally, and unfortunately, can be fatal," Bentley said. "By quickly and safely removing stranded motorists and alerting drivers to stopped vehicles ahead HERO services will help prevent these very dangerous situations. The HERO program's goals are simple but very powerful — enhance roadway safety, ensure smooth traffic flow and minimize the risk of additional crashes," Bentley said.
"Today's launch is historic. This is the first time HERO is operating outside of a metro Texas city. And again, this is possible because of our partnership with TxDOT and Midland County. Together, we've made it possible to bring this critical service right here to the Permian," she added.
HERO trucks will patrol I-20 and State Highway 191, two of the area's most dangerous corridors with the highest crash rates in the district, Bentley said.
There will be three trucks on I-20 and one on Highway 191, Richmond said. I-20 is longer than 191 and has a higher crash rate so it will have more HERO trucks.
Anecdotally, she said, they have heard communities with HERO have experienced more road safety awareness and lower crash rates. Richmond said people also like having another public service available to them for free.
They hope to expand the service eventually.
"These trucks will provide free services like traffic control at crash scenes, flat tire changes, minor vehicle repairs, jump starts for dead batteries and support for first responders," Bentley said. "This will also allow law enforcement and emergency personnel to extend their resources and focus on more serious accidents. This will save lives."
The program will also provide cell phone service and drinking water to stranded motorists, according to information from PSP.
In 2022, she said, the Odessa-Midland area had the highest fatality rate among all 25 TxDOT districts.
"While we've made progress, thanks to investments in infrastructure, enforcement, education and public engagement, there's still so much work to be done. Every time we drive on the Permian roads, we all can see these challenges firsthand.
"We live in the largest, most secure energy basin in the world, and we deserve to drive on safe, reliable roads to get home to our families every night. HERO will help us achieve this goal," Bentley said.
Alvin New, a Texas Transportation Commissioner, said the HERO program started in Austin in 2010. It's been picked up by El Paso and San Antonio, as well.
"But to get it out here in 2025 is just amazing. I'm really excited for the safety implications. The program here will start approximately June the 1st. It will run seven days a week, from around 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so it will pick up all of the to school, to work, home from work hours on these major corridors back and forth between these two cities," New said.
"It will run from on I-20 from Penwell to Martin County, and on State Highway 191 from Loop 338 to (Loop) 250. ... I want to make sure that you know that safety really is something that we work on hard at TxDOT. Everything we do, from the way we engineer roads, from the way we try to get overpasses built to avoid major intersection problems, to building sidewalks to get pedestrians off of the roadway," New said.
TxDOT recently launched a new safety program called Drive like a Texan, he said.
"We're working very hard to end the streak, which is the number of deaths on Texas roadways," New said.
He added that there has not been a single day since November of 2000 when there wasn't at least one death on Texas roadways.
"Again, you see all of these efforts moving forward, and the HERO Program becomes one more tool in the toolbox of doing things to get people away from an accident, get the traffic cleared, get the people off the roadway, get the vehicles off of the roadway, and help people be safe. We're happy to have that new tool in the toolbox, and we're extraordinarily excited about the way you guys are coming together and making this happen," New added.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Steven Blanco reminded the audience of the Texas Move Over or Slow Down law, which will also apply to the HERO program.
The law requires all drivers to change lanes or slow down when approaching an emergency vehicle, including law enforcement, fire, EMS, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles, tow trucks and utility service vehicles.
"Specifically, drivers must vacate the lane closest to the stopped emergency vehicle or slow down to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit. Remember, you should only move over if it is safe to do so.
"If you cannot move over, you must slow down. Violators in the state's Move Over or Slow Down law can face fines of up to $1,250 for the first offense. Violators who cause serious bodily injury can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor resulting in possible jail time or up to a $4,000 fine.
"It's also important to remind drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, and to give the act of driving your full attention. It's essential to keep your eyes on the roadway, not your phone or not other distractions in the vehicle. That way, the driver can take appropriate action when you come upon emergency vehicle, law enforcement, fire, EMS, or one of our HERO program vehicles," Blanco said.
According to TxDOT, he said, nearly one in six crashes on Texas roadways was caused by distracted driving in 2023. Of those crashes, 399 people lost their lives, and more than 2,790 were seriously injured, Blanco said.
"Sadly, Texas has lost at least one person every day on a road since November 7, 2000. By following the state's Move Over or Slow Down law and distracted driving laws, we can ensure that everyone gets home safely and that we are doing our part to end the streak. In closing, it's undeniable that the HERO Program will save lives and protect motorists stranded on our local roadways," Blanco said.
HERO vehicles are equipped with digital message signs and cameras that can send live images back to help with incident management.
TxDOT began tracking "secondary crashes" in crash reports on April 1, 2023. Since that time there have been 168 secondary incident crashes of varying severity in the Odessa District. In 2023 (latest data available), the Odessa District's fatality rate was 3.24 compared to the statewide average of 1.44 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled (vmt). The crash rate was 88 crashes per 100 million vmt in the Odessa District compared to the statewide average of 116 crashes per 100 million vmt.
There will be 4 HERO trucks operating on a fixed schedule seven days a week.
— I-20 — 3 trucks; 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
— SH 191 — 1 truck; 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
— Cost: $5 million over two years
Funders:
— PSP — $3 million ($1,500,000 per year)
— Midland County — $1 million ($500,000 per year)
— Ector County — $1 million ($500,000 per year)
KPIs — Quarterly reporting on:
— Call volume
— Incident response volume
— Incident and response type
— Crash reductions and hot-spot comparison over time
Funding Sustainability
The PSP's model provides jump start funding to new ideas. Their goal is to pilot this program for two years. After that time, local officials and TxDOT will need to budget for the funds needed to continue the program.
Additionally, during the last legislative session a bill was passed to allow for sponsorships of HERO programs to expand this proven traffic incident management solution across the state. TxDOT is currently working on rulemaking and the implementation timeline for the sponsorship program. The sponsorship program is expected to be rolled out by the end of 2025. This will allow for a public-private-partnership model to be used for long-term sustainability.
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