thanks to penndot

[dabroots]

I extend my thanks for PennDOT for pushing me out of the southbound Liberty Tunnel this afternoon when my car died about fifty feet before exiting. I called 911 and my call was apparently routed directly to them. Within five minutes a big-ass truck with an awesome front rubber bumper came up behind me, its driver got out and told me to put my dead

Comments

[talldean]

Cell should work in the tunnel; there are antennas inside most of the tunnels around here these days. :-)

[dabroots]

I like to think so. As it was, my signal wasn't so great, even that close to the exit, or maybe I was just distracted by the cars honking behind me, despite my emergency flashers going and my door open.

[pgh_anarchist]

This. I've been through the tunnels while on a cell, never lost the call.

[snonsumr]

It's nice to hear a good PennDOT story once in a while. :-)

Cell phone service: When I worked at Verizon a while back, I learned that there are "repeaters" in the tunnels to allow for better (not great) cell reception. By & large, they really do work.

PennDOT & response time: If I remember my Rick Sebak correctly, PennDOT monitors the tunnels 24/7 for breakdowns like yours as they can be quite dangerous for both you and the incoming traffic. The incoming traffic part is obvious, but what you may not realize is that the tunnels are very much exhaust-filled and prolonged exposure does bad things to your lungs and brain. So, even if you hadn't been able to call out, the nifty rubber bumper truck would still have been down shortly.

Overall, great to hear that you & your car made it out in one piece while only incurring mild commuter wrath. :-D