NORTHWEST FLORIDA - Stranded motorist are on their own again on I-10.

The state's "service patrol" made their last rounds at noon today.

The department of transportation says construction has progressed to the point where the patrol is no longer needed.

Gary Purcell has been running the service patrol on Florida highways for 14 years. 6 of which he's spent in the I-10 areas of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

"We patrol construction zones. We're hired by the department of transportation to assist motorist who are stranded and offer free assistance to get them out of the construction zone," said service patrolman Gary Purcell.

He's seen some pretty strange things in his time.

"Sometimes people just forget about where they are out here because it's a dangerous place out here," said Purcell.

Like the time he saw a car parked on the interstate.

"Pulled up alongside the vehicle and a woman decided to start breast feeding her child... once she calmed down I said look you know we need to get you off the road, go down to the ramp, the exit ramp," said Purcell.

And then there was the woman he met last week. She had three small children and was broken down in a narrow two lanes area.

"She was just scared to death, she was just so thankful to see me. She said just get me out of here. Just get me out of here. The noise, the vehicles go, zooming by you and she was real pleased," said Purcell.

But on Friday morning there weren't any stories at all.

"That's a good thing. It is refreshing to be wrapping it up to know that there's nobody out here that's stranded," said Purcell.

The department of transportation says the construction has progressed to a point where the service patrol won't be need anymore.

"It's been a nice run here," said Purcell.

Purcell says he'll be spending more time over in Tallahassee where his company still has a contract with the state.

Service Patrol