Interstate Rest Area Questions

[Grzrd]

The old MTR FAQ was perfect for topics like these, but it looks like that's down for the count.  I grabbed a bunch of definitions off there and updated it into my own FAQ, but I never grabbed the random miscellaneous trivia bits.  Maybe someone else (maybe even AARoads?) wants to grab roadfan.com/faq (or faq.html, I forget) and preserve it?

Roadfan is back up, I have no problem with copying parts (Steve, you and I spoke about the "future" of Roadfan at the Canton meet), though the FAQ is Marc Fannin's pride and joy so speak to him about that part of the site.

That was fast!  It was just down yesterday.  I'm gonna keep my FAQ because it expands greatly upon what Roadfan has, but I'll throw a link to you guys back up.

The site had been down (again) for a month. It just came back up this afternoon. Though from what emails Marc shared with me, it appears Aplus net's service was slow this time around.

I had difficulty finding above-mentioned FAQs.  If I am asking basic questions, please pass on a link.

Today, in driving from south Georgia to Atlanta along I-75, I took the Macon Bypass, aka I-475.  Just past mile 7, I noticed a sign that read, as best as I can remember, "Next rest area 138 miles on I-75".  Shortly thereafter, there was a rest area for NB I-475.  I-475 is approximately 15.1 miles.

Several questions come to mind:
(1) Is I-475 shortest interstate in country with a rest area?;
(2) What other signs in country on one interstate provide guidance as to how far it is to a rest area on another interstate?;
(3) What is greatest mileage figure for "Next Rest Area Is ...." sign category in U.S.?

Sorry, it was a mind-numbing drive ....

[hbelkins]

Not what you were looking for, but possibly of interest. There's a "Last Rest Area on I-79" sign on the last southbound rest area on I-79 in West Virginia.

[Alps]

#3 is answered in the FAQs on Roadfan.com (go to the misc.transport.road FAQs, it's fairly deep in there, greatest distance between services or something like that).  #1 is an interesting ponderable.  Before I-78 existed, you had rest areas on either side of the NJ Turnpike's Newark Bay Extension, which is only 8 miles long (but then only numbered 700N), and they're now closed.

[Duke87]

(2) What other signs in country on one interstate provide guidance as to how far it is to a rest area on another interstate?

There's a sign on NB I-684 that tells how far it is to the next rest area both to the east and to the west on I-84. No indication of where the next area is to the north on NY 22, though.

[rarnold]

Heading north on I-35 through Missouri, there is a rest area south of Cameron, and it has a "LAST REST AREA IN MISSOURI" sign. There was a rest area around Bethany, but they have since removed the restrooms, and it is now a parking area, with vault toilets. The next rest area on I-35 North is in Iowa near Lamoni.

[Scott5114]

MO has those "LAST REST AREA IN MISSOURI" signs in both directions on I-44 as well.

[Revive 755]

MO has those "LAST REST AREA IN MISSOURI" signs in both directions on I-44 as well.

Missouri seems to do the last in state rest area bit on every interstate with rest areas except I-270 (and on I-255 back when it had one).

[JREwing78]

Michigan posts the distance to the subsequent rest area on the signs for the upcoming rest area, unless the next rest area is in another state.

[corco]

At least a few western states post distance to out of state rest areas too- Idaho, Wyoming, and Nebraska definitely do

[agentsteel53]

Michigan posts the distance to the subsequent rest area on the signs for the upcoming rest area, unless the next rest area is in another state.

I figure that makes sense, given that they have no jurisdiction over neighboring states... Ohio could move the rest area without notifying Michigan and then the sign would be inaccurate.

I don't recall any state posting a rest area that is in the next state.

[SP Cook]

West Virginia posts the distance to the next rest area, including those out of state.

[andrewkbrown]

As does Ohio.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.422238,-84.096308&spn=0,0.014613&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=39.422196,-84.09642&panoid=I3EIp2K2DBfO9AExhrdMTw&cbp=12,295.85,,0,0.04

Difficult to read, but this sign in Warren County gives the distance of the next rest area as 45 miles. Since this is at milemarker 35 on southbound I-71, the next rest area is at I-71/I-75 in Florence, KY.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.435389,-84.338946&spn=0,0.007306&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=39.435293,-84.339001&panoid=c4FLzTld2Nn11B2bSone3g&cbp=12,236.9,,0,3.58

A better photo of the next rest area sign on southbound I-75 in Butler County, milemarker 28, refering to the same I-71/I-75 KY rest area.

[InterstateNG]

Michigan posts the distance to the subsequent rest area on the signs for the upcoming rest area, unless the next rest area is in another state.

Not entirely accurate.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Watervliet,+Berrien,+Michigan+49098&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.043149,79.013672&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FdG3gwIdnsTb-g&split=0&hq=&hnear=Watervliet,+Berrien,+Michigan&ll=42.185285,-86.215639&spn=0.022577,0.038581&z=15&layer=c&cbll=42.185224,-86.215892&panoid=HBrDz5EsMgezRMkNoIV-Lw&cbp=12,295.89,,0,9.86

That is for the WB I-94 Watervilet rest area, which is the last one before the Indiana Welcome Center.    While driving to Chicago in August, they even informed you that said welcome center was closed.

For I-69 SB it is as you described.

[dfilpus]

South Carolina has two old no services rest areas along I-20 between Columbia and Augusta GA. These are now either closed or signed as parking ares for trucks only. At each one, there is a sign indicating the distance to the next read rest area, which for westbound is the welcome center in Georgia.

[hbelkins]

I was going to mention the I-75 Ohio southbound sign that references the Kentucky welcome center.

[shadyjay]

After several rest areas along I-89 and I-91 were closed in Vermont a few years ago, they added distances to the next area with facilities:

      REST AREA
        1  MILE
NEXT I-89 FACILITIES
       --  MILES

Prior to this, signage for the I-91 SB rest area in Hartford (just south of White River Jct) stated LAST FACILITY IN VERMONT.

There are no banners in Vermont that display distances to rest areas out of state.


Connecticut has no mention of next rest area or facility.  However on the I-95 NB, there is a sign saying LAST FOOD/FUEL ON I-95 on the approach to the Madison Service Area.  While that may be true for Connecticut, the next service area on I-95 is on the 128 portion near Lexington MA, then the 2 1/2 plazas on the Maine Turnpike.

[Duke87]

Connecticut has no mention of next rest area or facility.  However on the I-95 NB, there is a sign saying LAST FOOD/FUEL ON I-95 on the approach to the Madison Service Area.  While that may be true for Connecticut, the next service area on I-95 is on the 128 portion near Lexington MA, then the 2 1/2 plazas on the Maine Turnpike.

There's one of those signs southbound right before the Darien service area, too. Next one in that case would be the Vince Lombardi service area on the Jersey Turnpike.

[roadfro]

Michigan posts the distance to the subsequent rest area on the signs for the upcoming rest area, unless the next rest area is in another state.

I don't recall any state posting a rest area that is in the next state.

Nevada has one.

The advance guide sign in this AARoads photo of Westbound I-80 is for the Wadsworth rest area west of Fernley (about 25 miles east of the Reno-Sparks metro area). A sign underneath this states "Next Rest Area 77 Miles". While the distance is actually closer to 70 miles, the sign is referring to the rest area at Donner Pass, about 27 miles into California.