Abandoned Rest Areas

[US71]

Arkansas closed a pair of Rest Areas near Morrilton on I-40 after someone was murdered (2001?).

There's another near I-440 on EB I-40 that is almost totally overgrown.


MoDOT closed the Rest Areas near Halltown on I-44 and converted them to Truck Parking.

Driving down I-49 south of Shreveport, there appeasr to be never built Rest Areas with ramp stubs.

[roadman]

I-95 northbound and southbound at the Rowley/Georgetown line.  What are now only weigh stations were once full service plazas with gas stations and restaurants.

IIRC, those service plazas (along with other rest areas along that stretch of I-95) bit the dust when the DPW widened highway during the mid-70s.

That would make sense.  As I understand it, the Feds paid for most of the I-95 widening project, so removal of the service plazas would be a logical condition of FHWA granting funding for the work.  They imposed a similar condition on the re-construction of the Southeast Expressway in 1984-1985, which resulted in the closure of the Howard Johnson's at the Braintree Split.

[PHLBOS]

They imposed a similar condition on the re-construction of the Southeast Expressway in 1984-1985, which resulted in the closure of the Howard Johnson's at the Braintree Split.

Man. I completely forgot about that plaza until you mentioned it.

[briantroutman]

There were also plazas...that are still standing but used for another purpose... I think another out west near Pittsburgh. There may be others.

Here is the third I couldn't remember: Pleasant Valley (http://bit.ly/1a3bifm)
The building still stands as Murraysville Machinery, and the ramps are still maintained as one of the PA Turnpike's many "PARK BEHIND LINE"  turnouts.

And there's also Butler Valley, which was torn down to accommodate the Warrendale Toll Plaza, as well as the twin Neshaminy plazas, which were demolished to build off-ramps to a casino.

So in total, we have (west to east)

• Butler Valley - razed - mile 30 (WB)
• Pleasant Valley - standing - mile 63 (WB)
• Cove Valley - razed - mile 170 (WB)
• Path Valley - razed - mile 187 (EB)
• Mechanicsburg - standing - mile 234 (WB)
• Denver - standing -  mile 279 (WB)
• North Neshaminy - razed - mile 352 (WB)
• South Neshaminy - razed - mile 352 (EB)

[KEK Inc.]

I-280 has abandoned vista points in San Mateo Co.

[vdeane]

NY 104 had a rest area/scenic view westbound before Irondequoit Bay.  NYSDOT took it over as a staging area during the reconstruction/widening project in the 90s and then never left.  At some point, the town of Webster kicked NYSDOT out and the area is now vacant.

[Marc_in_CT]

There is a pair on I-95 in Port Orange, FL.  I first discovered these about 11 years ago and last drove past them about a year ago, at which time the buildings were still standing.
Northbound: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=29.085492,-81.017196&spn=0.006357,0.010214&t=h&z=17
Southbound: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=29.095013,-81.023918&spn=0.003178,0.005107&t=h&z=18
I would love to know the condition of the insides of these vintage buildings.  It looks like the SB one is used for construction storage.  I can't help but wonder if they maintain the restrooms for DOT employee use?

Apparently there was a rash of crimes here in the mid 80's.  Whether that's the exact reason for the closure, I'm not sure.
Here's one such incident:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-12-13/news/0340710282_1_port-orange-police-hannon-police-department

And here's a pair from I-95 in SC.  I passed through here about a year ago also, and I believe these buildings were also still standing.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=34.279502,-79.685222&spn=0.003005,0.005107&t=h&z=18

Lastly, one from GA, I-85 Northbound, just before the I-985 split.  I recall stopping here in the late 1990's after a long day at Six Flags.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=34.037938,-84.036929&spn=0.003014,0.005107&t=h&z=18

[Mr_Northside]

There were also plazas...that are still standing but used for another purpose... I think another out west near Pittsburgh. There may be others.

Here is the third I couldn't remember: Pleasant Valley (http://bit.ly/1a3bifm)
The building still stands as Murraysville Machinery, and the ramps are still maintained as one of the PA Turnpike's many "PARK BEHIND LINE"  turnouts.

And there's also Butler Valley, which was torn down to accommodate the Warrendale Toll Plaza, as well as the twin Neshaminy plazas, which were demolished to build off-ramps to a casino.

So in total, we have (west to east)

• Butler Valley - razed - mile 30 (WB)
• Pleasant Valley - standing - mile 63 (WB)
• Cove Valley - razed - mile 170 (WB)
• Path Valley - razed - mile 187 (EB)
• Mechanicsburg - standing - mile 234 (WB)
• Denver - standing -  mile 279 (WB)
• North Neshaminy - razed - mile 352 (WB)
• South Neshaminy - razed - mile 352 (EB)

There's a couple more than that....
There used to be one heading eastbound in between Beaver Valley & Cranberry exits.
http://goo.gl/maps/1t21z
The carriageway I used for the link shows the old plaza, but if you switch GSV to the other carriageway you'll see a newer image with what looks like a maintenance building being built.

Also eastbound, there was a service plaza just before the New Stanton interchange.  While I remember eating there every now and then growing up, I appreciate the wider turnpike that's there now.

[GaryV]

Another one in Michigan is US-10 WB as you go around the north side of Midland.

[briantroutman]

There's a couple more than that....

Right–and I missed a few more, too.

The one you linked was Zelienople–which for some reason, I thought was still open. The PTC closed it in late 2008. Apparently, HMS Host said the plaza was a poor performer, and they didn't want to invest in an extensive remodel as they're doing with the remaining plazas. (According to the Post-Gazette: http://bit.ly/KhMNyq)

The other you mentioned was Hempfield, which actually had a few closures in its lifetime but was finally shut down for good in 2007.

I also missed both Laurel Hill and New Baltimore–both of which must have been closed and demolished early on. Aerial photos as early as 1958 appear to show the New Baltimore plaza having already been demolished. Laurel Hill has been difficult to find, though. The early ("˜40s) tourist maps seems to put it a mile or so east of the tunnel, but can hardly even make out traces of the site today. Perhaps the twinning of the South Somerset plaza (which appears to have been around 1953-54) resulted in the closure of both smaller plazas.

So unless I'm missing anything else, the full list should be:

• Zelienople - razed - mile 21 (EB)
• Butler Valley - razed - mile 30 (WB)
• Pleasant Valley - standing - mile 63 (WB)
• Hempfield - razed - mile 74 (EB)
• Laurel Hill - razed - mile 101 (?) (EB)
• New Baltimore - razed - mile 120 (EB)
• Cove Valley - razed - mile 170 (WB)
• Path Valley - razed - mile 187 (EB)
• Mechanicsburg - standing - mile 234 (WB)
• Denver - standing -  mile 279 (WB)
• North Neshaminy - razed - mile 352 (WB)
• South Neshaminy - razed - mile 352 (EB)

[Beeper1]

On Cape Cod:

US-6 eastbound in Dennis just after the Bass River bridge.  This was closed in the early 80s due to crime issues.  Not sure if there ever was a building but if there was it is gone.  There is some unofficial talk of this being re-opened as a parking/access area for the new extension of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, which will parallel US-6 in this area.

[ibagli]

There used to be one on OH-37 north of Lancaster.

[catch22]

Another one in Michigan is US-10 WB as you go around the north side of Midland.

Also US-127 SB near Alma.

[jeffandnicole]

Carrying this over from the 'Closed Exits' topic:

...the closed NB Rest Area on I-295 in NJ is now signed with a black on gray "Springfield Yard" sign.  The main entrance is blocked by a jersey barrier (a modified ramp exists where traffic used to exit the rest area).  And thru the trees, you can see the old building still intact.  Maybe DOT will use this for a sub-yard, such as for snow/salting operatings or the like in the future...

Today: This definitely looks like an impromptu salt yard for NJDOT vehicles: the former truck parking area of the rest stop now has a long pile of salt covered by tarp; the jersey barrier from the former entrance has been moved off to the side.  The building remains as well, although it's impossible to tell from the roadway if the electric and utilites (bathrooms) are still operational.

[Buck87]

There used to be 2 primitive ones on OH 4 in northern Ohio that were only 20 miles apart. I can remember both being open in the 90's, possibly early 2000's.

This one south of Attica still has the buildings standing, and I'm pretty sure it was sold.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.037568,-82.901111&spn=0.001062,0.002309&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=41.037568,-82.901111&panoid=LaWZt7a3QCW23-egsNPmgw&cbp=12,82.71,,0,5.04

The other was soutwest of Bucyrus.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.762069,-83.015345&spn=0.002149,0.004619&t=h&z=18

I also remember another one on US 23 near the Ross/Pike line. It was distinctive in that the parking lot and restroom building were on either side of a creek, with a little bridge connecting them. As a little kid I always "had to pee" when we approached that one, because I liked walking across that bridge. I'm having trouble pin pointing it's exact location on google maps, but I know it closed in the mid 90's when a new modern rest area was built in Scioto County.

[catch22]

Here's another in Ohio, on the old routing of US-24, just west of US-127.  This closed several years ago, but GSV's images are old enough to still show it:

http://goo.gl/maps/qWTCs

The aerial view shows all the buildings removed:

http://goo.gl/maps/a61eN

[jeffandnicole]

More of a pull-off area than a rest area, but NJ 42 originally had 3 or 4 rest areas (yeah, for the whole 7 mile freeway section).  One was located on Rt. 42 South just south of the Creek Rd interchange.  Another on Rt. 42 North at about the location where Rt. 55 North touches down and merges with Rt. 42 North.

There was another 1 (NB) or 2 (1 NB & 1 SB) near where 42 meets the AC Expressway, about in the location of the new College Drive interchange.

I only really remember them as closed off in the 80's, with mounds of dirt preventing entry.  The pull off area had nothing to it - no buildings or even parking spaces.  As construction projects occurred along Rt. 42, the rest areas disappeared.  Today, there's no evidence where they existed, except on sites like historicalaerials.

[PHLBOS]

Rest Area off I-195 East in Swansea, MA between Exits 2 & 3 (more close-up GSV photos show this rest area as Open). Not 100% sure which GSV photo(s) are more recent nor regarding its current status.

[Beeper1]

The EB rest area on 195 in Swansea is closed, and has been for about 2 years now.  Used to be a Mass Welcome Center.  Probably closed when MA closed some of their info centers (Chelmsford on 495, Lee and Charlton on the Mass Pike) die to budget cuts. 

[bugo]

Not the same, but there's an unbuilt service plaza site on the Muskogee Turnpike just south ("east") of Muskogee.  The traffic levels on that stretch of turnpike are too low to support it.

There are several abandoned rest areas in Oklahoma that were inside of Oklahoma Ys.  There is one at the former US 59/270/271 intersection just southwest of Poteau.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Louisiana has more or less been phasing out its interstate rest areas with the exception of the state welcome centers and a few scattered survivors.

These have been closed, virtually all in the last 15 years:

I-10: WB between Sulphur and Vinton; some concrete remains, but is located far back from the highway
I-10: a pair east of the Mermentau River crossing east of Jennings; virtually nothing remains
I-10: a pair in Lafayette; EB was located just west of the Louisiana Avenue interchange, WB was located just east of same interchange; little if any remains exist
I-10: a pair between LA 3000 and LA 77 west of Grosse Tete; few remains
I-10: a pair between LA 22 and LA 44 in Sorrento, just west of the LA 941 overpass; few remains
I-12: a pair just west of LA 441 in Holden; looks like they were very bare bones; you would never know they were there from the highway, but some remains exist behind the trees
I-12: a pair just south of Covington just west of the Tchefuncte River crossing, now an exit for a recently constructed local road leading to two large shopping centers
I-20: a pair east of the LA 159 exit in Haughton; substantial remains exist per Google maps
I-20: a pair west of the LA 154 exit in Gibsland; some remains exist; these were apparently not very elaborate in any case and were probably similar to the still-surviving Choudrant rest areas
I-20: a pair between LA 17 and LA 609 west of Delhi; some remains exist; bare bones like their cousins to the west
I-20: EB opposite from the welcome center near Mound; identical in design to its cousin; ROW is still demarcated but no remains otherwise
I-55: NB just north of LA 10 exit; concrete remains but hidden behind trees
I-55: a pair north of the LA 3234 exit and south of the LA 1064 overpass in Hammond; these were nice sized facilities; the SB has substantial remains, while most of the site of the NB rest area is covered by an apartment complex

I don't think there are any closed rest stops on I-49, which was constructed with minimal facilities (there is one still-extant rest stop/day-use area in St. Landry Parish that serves both directions).

DOTD probably considers the rest areas' original reason for being to be obsolete, given that nearly every highway interchange now has at least a few traveler services (and a Waffle House ) - not the case, of course, when the interstates were new and the interchanges unspoiled by development.

It was claimed here: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124656938899088487
that the state closed 24 of 34 rest areas between 2000-2009, so I think that captures all but one of them.

[Bigmikelakers]

Here in Southern California:

CA-91: Before Imperial Hwy in Anaheim in both directions. Currently serves as a CHP weigh station.

I-10: Right after Citrus Ave Westbound in Fontana.

Theres probably more in Socal. I will have to do some exploring in HistoricAerials to find more.

[shadyjay]

CT: 
(previously mentioned)
CT 8 - north of Thomaston - an old black on white sign once stated it was a weigh station.  Abandoned.
CT 15 - WCP - between Exits 58 & 59 - remains of a picnic area/parking area, NB/SB.
CT 15 - WCP - between Exits 66 & 67 - I believe there used to be something here, removed in the 80s?

VT:  I-89:
MM 9 - SB - Rest Area abandoned.  Building torn down.  Signed today as a weigh station.  Access closed when area not open.
MM 21 - NB - Parking Area abandoned.  Pavement removed.  No sign of this area exists, except a berm about a mile before Exit 3
MM 34 - NB - Rest Area abandoned.  Same as MM 9-SB.
MM 130 - SB - Welcome Center abandoned.  Building torn down.  Access closed.

VT:  I-91:
MM 0 - NB - Welcome Center abandoned.  Building torn down.  Access closed.  Occasional use as a weigh station.
MM 2/3 - NB/SB - Parking Area partially abandoned.  Public access.  No signage or breaks in line striping.
MM 25/26 - NB/SB - Parking Area, former Rest Areas.  Buildings removed in the 90s.  Believe there were ADA issues here.
MM 39 - NB/SB - Weigh Station, former Parking Areas.  Converted due to drug/crime activity.  Gated when no weighing in progress.
MM 68 - NB - Rest Area abandoned.  Building torn down.  Signed today as a weigh station.  Gated when no weighing in progress.
MM 106 - SB - Parking Area, former Rest Area.  Building removed ???.
MM 154 - NB - Parking Area with a very u-shaped parking lot.  Was there ever a building here?
MM 166.5 - NB/SB - Parking Area which seems large enough to have had a building at one time.

ME:
Maine Tpke between Exits 86 & 102 - abandoned service areas.  Buildings removed.  Areas gated.  Replaced with new facility at Int 102/103
I-95 just north of Augusta - Rest Areas abandoned.  NB removed/SB now a weigh station.  Closed around the time the ME 3 bypass opened
I-95 betw Exits 138 & 150 - Pittsfield Rest Areas closed.  Present status unknown.

[Marc_in_CT]

PA I-81:
NB/SB MM102 - never had facilities, to my knowledge (Old AAA maps show them as such).
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.571246,-76.416478&spn=0.01079,0.019269&t=h&z=16
NB/SB MM132 - same as above.
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.819493,-76.087768&spn=0.005375,0.009634&t=h&z=17

On a semi-related note - I-80 between I-81 and the NJ state line, there are 2 rest areas EB, a mere 22 miles apart, but none WB (other than the Welcome Center).  I thought perhaps the WB counterparts were closed down but I don't see any evidence of them ever having existed.  Anyone know if I'm missing something here?

[Mr. Matté]

On a semi-related note - I-80 between I-81 and the NJ state line, there are 2 rest areas EB, a mere 22 miles apart, but none WB (other than the Welcome Center).  I thought perhaps the WB counterparts were closed down but I don't see any evidence of them ever having existed.  Anyone know if I'm missing something here?

Just after the Route 33 exit, it looks like there was once a rest area on the westbound side. https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.010265,-75.293732&spn=0.003497,0.006968&t=h&z=18

Getting back to Ohio, it seems like the most random of places had rest areas. While cleaning up the wiki article for SR 518 in southern Columbiana County, there was a rest area here that housed a memorial to a Civil War surrender. I'm surprised that it took all the way to 1999 for ODOT to give up on that rest area and even that was only because the bathrooms didn't have a septic tank.