The Georgia Department of Transportation is bringing a new program to the city of Hinesville and other communities throughout the state.

CHAMP, the Coordinated Highway Assistance and Maintenance Program, is GDOT’s new roadside assistance and maintenance program for regions outside of Metro Atlanta.

CHAMP is a complimentary service made possible by state dollars resulting from the Transportation Funding Act of 2015.

"I was thrilled to receive a letter from the Georgia Department of Transportation to announce this program that will surely be a benefit to Hinesville," said Hinesville Mayor Allen Brown. "The similar HERO (Highway Emergency Response Operators) program in Atlanta has been very successful and I know that CHAMP will be equally beneficial to our community."

Once fully operational, CHAMP will be staffed by 48 full-time operators and 18 full-time dispatchers. A total of 51 branded, custom-fitted CHAMP trucks will patrol 16

CHAMP trucks will patrol 16 hours a day - and be on call the other 8 hours - 7 days a week.

CHAMP operators:

• Detect, verify reports and provide assistance with traffic incidents to ensure safe, quick clearance and efficient traffic flow on interstates.

• Remove debris and minor non-hazardous spills from the highway.

• Assist with other incidents and with tagging and removing abandoned vehicles.

• Assist the Departmaent of Public Safety and other law enforcement agencies in a support role.

• Identify, verify and report maintenance issues or infrastructure property damage to GDOT’s Transportation Management Center and district staff.

• When feasible, provide assistance to motorists needing help.

CHAMP is being launched in phases across the state and will begin in the Southeast region of Georgia on April 4.

For motorist assistance and to report a crash or debris in the road, call 511.

For more information and to view the full rollout schedule in various Georgia regions, visit www.dot.ga.gov/CHAMP.