The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) announced today that the Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO) program will restore active patrols in the overnight hours seven days a week (returning to 24/7 active patrols) and will also restore its full coverage area of nearly 400 miles of interstate highways across metro Atlanta on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. HEROs have many responsibilities but are primarily responsible for roadway clearance after traffic-related incidents ensuring that normal traffic flow is restored on metro Atlanta interstates. Additionally, the program offers free roadside assistance, including assisting stranded motorists with flat tires, dead batteries, and providing fuel and coolant as needed.

"HEROs are our first and best resource to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently in metro Atlanta," said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. "The reinstatement of full service of HERO's coverage area with 24/7 patrols is reflective of the Department's commitment to providing consistent and immediate assistance to everyone who uses our roadways."

The long-standing HERO program has been serving motorists across metro Atlanta since 1994. For many years HERO units conducted around-the-clock active patrols. In 2023, staffing challenges resulted in Georgia DOT reducing HERO hours of active patrols to 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day to ensure adequate HERO coverage on Atlanta-area interstate highways during peak traffic times, while an aggressive recruitment effort to hire and train new operators was launched. Additionally, at that time HERO's service area was reduced across metro Atlanta, with Georgia DOT's Coordinated Highway Assistance & Maintenance Program (CHAMP) - which is responsible for roadway clearance and roadside assistance outside of metro Atlanta - stepping in to provide additional support to ensure adequate coverage. Despite these changes, over the past two years both HERO and CHAMP have continued to serve motorists in Atlanta. From July 2023 to April 2025, there were approximately 135,141 motorists and crash assists across all HERO coverage areas by HERO and CHAMP units.

"Traffic incidents do not operate on a schedule and through the hard work and dedication of our HERO and CHAMP units, every interstate was monitored during the reduction of the HERO active patrol schedule and coverage," said Tyrone McCord III, HERO Unit Manager at Georgia DOT. "Now that we are back to a full staff, thanks to effective recruitment strategies and intensive training, we are committed to patrolling the nearly 400 miles of metro Atlanta roads at all hours to improve public safety, reduce traffic delays and be better prepared for emergencies."
To request assistance from HERO or CHAMP units, contact 511GA by dialing 511 hands-free on your mobile phone, downloading the 511GA app to your Apple or Google mobile device or visiting 511GA.org. Additionally, the 511GA system allows users to monitor travel speeds, traffic incidents, construction events, lane closures and severe weather data.