MoDOT Closing 2 Rest Areas

[US71]

http://www.modot.org/southwest/news_and_information/District8Release.shtml?action=displaySSI&newsId=185310

I-44 Rest Areas near Halltown, MO are being converted to Truck Parking.

[kphoger]

All the more reason to stop at the Shell at the Halltown exit itself, I guess.  But, then, I've taken to using MO-96 to cut the corner from US-71, so it's a moot point for me personally.

[Brandon]

If they cannot have a full rest area due to the upgrades needed, then we have a term for that.  It's called "Wayside".

[kphoger]

I've only seen "wayside" used on surface roads, not freeways.

[ShawnP]

Will I-49 ever get rest areas? With Tyson, Wal-Mart and Hunt Trucking from NW Arkansas there is alot of truck traffic on I-49 and more coming soon.

[Scott5114]

Maybe a welcome center near Pineville, but I can't really see them springing for more than that.

[US71]

Maybe a welcome center near Pineville, but I can't really see them springing for more than that.

There's a privately maintained Welcome Center at Pineville inside a real estate company near Bus 71 and Route W. You turn off at Route H and drive back to town.

Maybe they will eventually build a real one

[Brandon]

Maybe a welcome center near Pineville, but I can't really see them springing for more than that.

There's a privately maintained Welcome Center at Pineville inside a real estate company near Bus 71 and Route W. You turn off at Route H and drive back to town.

Maybe they will eventually build a real one

Welcome centers and rest areas should always, IMHO, be built with a freeway.  You can't always depend on Mr. Nogottabathroom at the flipping greasy gas station.

[Mdcastle]

Has Missouri ever remodeled a rest area rather than just closing it?

[pctech]

Rest areas are headed to extinction it seems...a commentary on the fiscal times that we live in. 

Mark

[US71]

Has Missouri ever remodeled a rest area rather than just closing it?

Yes.  The rest areas near Conway, MO were remodeled a few years back in homage to Route 66. 

[rte66man]

Rest areas are headed to extinction it seems...a commentary on the fiscal times that we live in. 

Mark

True. Oklahoma has closed a number of them in recent years.  Both north and southbound I35 at Davis have been converted to parking areas only. Northbound I35 at Blackwell has been removed completely.  North and southbound I35 at Guthrie was converted to a Weigh Station a few years ago.  I40 still has a full Rest Area east and westbound at Earlsboro.  Those are the only freeway rest areas in the state that are not at state borders.  If you are northbound on I35, you have to go from Thackerville to Kansas to find a full Rest Area.  We always stop at the Love's in Ardmore (exit 32) or the new Love's in Pauls Valley (exit 70).

rte66man

[US71]

Rest areas are headed to extinction it seems...a commentary on the fiscal times that we live in. 

Mark

AHTD closed the Morrilton Rest Areas along I-40 back in 2000 after a lady was murdered. It was decided security upgrades would cost too much to be worthwhile.

[Brandon]

Rest areas are headed to extinction it seems...a commentary on the fiscal times that we live in. 

Mark

Obviously these DOTs seem to think pooing on the side of the road is cool. 

[US71]

Rest areas are headed to extinction it seems...a commentary on the fiscal times that we live in. 

Mark

Obviously these DOTs seem to think pooing on the side of the road is cool. 

I'm sure the Highway Patrol would love to arrest you for indecent exposure   

[oscar]

Welcome centers and rest areas should always, IMHO, be built with a freeway.  You can't always depend on Mr. Nogottabathroom at the flipping greasy gas station.

They're needed more, but much less common, on major non-freeway U.S. and other routes.  "Mr. Nogottabathroom" can be a big problem on such routes, especially the ones with enough population to make "roadside relief" an uncomfortable option, but not enough to support truck stops or fast-food places you can count on as alternatives.   

[pctech]

Rest areas are headed to extinction it seems...a commentary on the fiscal times that we live in. 

Mark

Obviously these DOTs seem to think pooing on the side of the road is cool. 

The thinking here in Louisiana is that people can use private sector options. It's part of a long trend of abandoning public services. Other than the welcome centers at the borders, we only have 2 sets of interstate rest areas that are not WC's left in the state that I'm aware of. In my opinion a gas station or fast food chain restaurant is not a proper rest area.

[US71]

AHTD closed their Rest Area on US 71 north of Winslow a few years back, but it was bought by the community and is maintained as a Rest Area/Public Park (after the Sheriff back out of a deal to run it as a satellite Sheriff's office).
Seems to be in decent condition and there's a donation box to help with expenses.

[kphoger]

In my opinion a gas station or fast food chain restaurant is not a proper rest area.

All depends, I guess.  Can I take a nap on their bench out front, let my dogs pee in their parking lot, have a picnic on their lawn, and change my clothes in their bathroom–all without having to buy a single item?  If so, then I might concede it's equivalent to a rest area.  But maybe not, even then.