Custom 'American Chopper' motorcycle at Pasco's TRAC today

A custom motorcycle built by a designer featured on Discovery Channel's TV show American Chopper is one of the main attractions of the Health & Safety Expo today at TRAC in Pasco.

The expo features a variety of vendors offering health and safety information.

The custom chopper, called the 811 Bike, is part of a promotion on utility safety. It was commissioned by One Call Concepts on behalf of the 1,400 members of Common Ground Alliance to promote 811, the national three-digit phone number that connects professional excavators and homeowners who plan to dig with a local utility notification center.

The bike was built by Paul Jr. Designs, one of the featured designers in American Chopper, in upstate New York and has been touring the United States since last fall.

The bike will be displayed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cascade Natural Gas booth at the expo in Pasco.

Admission is free.

"It's not often you get to see a piece of art like this bike. It's unique," said Tina Beach, manager of standards and compliance for Cascade.

"Nationwide, someone cuts a utility line -- whether it's electrical, gas or whatever -- once every five minutes. The purpose of the bike is to increase awareness of the importance of calling 811 before you dig," she said.

The call is free, and utilities need two business days to come out and mark the underground utilities.

This story was originally published May 16, 2012 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Custom 'American Chopper' motorcycle at Pasco's TRAC today."