Rest Areas in Urban Areas

[sprjus4]

None in the Detroit area. For I-75 there's a northbound welcome center at mm 10 then the next northbound rest area is 87 miles away at mm 97.

There is one on I-275 between Michigan (US-12) and Ford (M-153) exits.

Not anymore; it was closed in November 2018.  MDOT noted in its press release that this is "now a highly urbanized area with many alternatives for motorist services available at Exit 22 to US-12 and at Exit 25 to M-153"; i.e. you can exit and go to a McDonald's to pee.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620-479910--,00.html

What a fucking joy.  Where once you have a nice large restroom with multiple stalls and urinals with plenty of truck parking, now you have one-stall McDonald's with no truck parking.

Have to love McDonalds 

[NWI_Irish96]

Indiana:

Toll Road Lake Station plaza is in an urban area.
Toll Road Elkhart plaza and I-70 Terre Haute rest area are in what I would call smaller urban areas. 

[jp the roadgeek]

I-95 in Darien, CT. The McDonalds at the NB plaza bills itself as one of the busiest in the country.  Also service plazas in Fairfield, Orange, and Branford are quite urban.

[vdeane]

Good thread!

There is one in each direction on the Thruway in the Syracuse area, although "urban" could be debated in both cases. Also, the Scottsville Service Area near Exit 46 is now in the heart of the ever-expanding Henrietta suburbia.

I recall going to one on a toll road in Chicagoland somewhere, but can't seem to pinpoint the exact location. I think it was signed as an "oasis".

Yeah, the Chittenango one ain't urban.

I think he was referring to Warners and DeWitt.

[Flint1979]

None in the Detroit area. For I-75 there's a northbound welcome center at mm 10 then the next northbound rest area is 87 miles away at mm 97.

There is one on I-275 between Michigan (US-12) and Ford (M-153) exits.

And another westbound on I-94 near Willow Run.

I'm not sure that's considered the Detroit Urban area even though it's still in Wayne County. Sumpter Township just south of there certainly isn't part of the Urban area. It's closer to Ann Arbor than Detroit too and Ann Arbor is indeed its own Urban area even though it's in the Detroit tv market.

[wanderer2575]

None in the Detroit area. For I-75 there's a northbound welcome center at mm 10 then the next northbound rest area is 87 miles away at mm 97.

There is one on I-275 between Michigan (US-12) and Ford (M-153) exits.

Not anymore; it was closed in November 2018.  MDOT noted in its press release that this is "now a highly urbanized area with many alternatives for motorist services available at Exit 22 to US-12 and at Exit 25 to M-153"; i.e. you can exit and go to a McDonald's to pee.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620-479910--,00.html

What a fucking joy.  Where once you have a nice large restroom with multiple stalls and urinals with plenty of truck parking, now you have one-stall McDonald's with no truck parking.

To be fair, I concede that I had selectively quoted the press release.  It also said the restroom building needs to be replaced (I agree) at a cost of $1.1 million to $1.5 million (!), and that cost plus the costs of ongoing maintenance are two to three times the costs of other rest areas.  I can believe the maintenance, as this rest area has had a number of vandalism incidents in recent years.

[roadman]

I-87 gas stations on the Deegan just south of the Westchester line. 

Service area on the Hutch just south of 287 in Harrison.

The 2 rest areas service plazas on I-95(MA 128) in Newton (SB) and Lexington (NB)

FIFY.

[TheGrassGuy]

There used to be two on I-80 and one on I-287 near NYC, but all of them were closed (except for trucks) a while ago, due to their being hotspots for illegal activity.

EDIT: they're open to trucks

[roadman65]

There used to be two on I-80 and one on I-287 near NYC, but all of them were closed a while ago, due to their being hotspots for illegal activity.

The one on I-287 N Bound near Morristown closed only to cars.  Semis are more than welcome to use it as the same happened back in the 80's  on an area for I--80 in Roxbury where the DOT said disallow cars, but keep it open for truckers.  I guess the statistics for truck drivers engaging in illegal activity is a lower percentage and the fact semis are a great part of the economy, they are entitled to rest over us car drivers who must find a parking lot or shopping center to stop at.

[jeffandnicole]

There used to be two on I-80 and one on I-287 near NYC, but all of them were closed a while ago, due to their being hotspots for illegal activity.

The one on I-287 N Bound near Morristown closed only to cars.  Semis are more than welcome to use it as the same happened back in the 80's  on an area for I--80 in Roxbury where the DOT said disallow cars, but keep it open for truckers.  I guess the statistics for truck drivers engaging in illegal activity is a lower percentage and the fact semis are a great part of the economy, they are entitled to rest over us car drivers who must find a parking lot or shopping center to stop at.

Well, I think the reasoning they closed was incorrectly stated to begin with.  They closed mostly due to budget cuts, not illegal activity.  2 rest stops on 295 closed as well.  Chances of illegal activity occurring at an unstaffed rest area vs. a staffed rest area are much greater, not less!

Also, truckers need a place to pull off due to CDL requirements, and there's limited options for truckers off the highway.  For cars, there are hotels readily available.  Compared to truckers, there are very few people that actually will sleep in their cars.

[ET21]

I-80/294/Tri-State Tollway/Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis

Former/Doomed ISTHA Urban Oases: Hinsdale, O'Hare, Des Plaines

Enjoy Hinsdale while it lasts!

[Revive 755]

I-80/294/Tri-State Tollway/Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis

Former/Doomed ISTHA Urban Oases: Hinsdale, O'Hare, Des Plaines

Enjoy Hinsdale while it lasts!

I thought O'Hare and Hinsdale were going to keep the gas stations and parking areas?

[roadman]

There used to be two on I-80 and one on I-287 near NYC, but all of them were closed a while ago, due to their being hotspots for illegal activity.

The one on I-287 N Bound near Morristown closed only to cars.  Semis are more than welcome to use it as the same happened back in the 80's  on an area for I--80 in Roxbury where the DOT said disallow cars, but keep it open for truckers.  I guess the statistics for truck drivers engaging in illegal activity is a lower percentage and the fact semis are a great part of the economy, they are entitled to rest over us car drivers who must find a parking lot or shopping center to stop at.

It's more basic than that.  Truckers are subject to hours of service laws, whereas car drivers are not.  Therefore, it's better to keep a rest area open for trucks only instead of closing it completely.  Second, off-highway truck parking is very limited, especially in urban areas.  And IMO the "illegal activity" angle is probably overstated, as this same 'rationale' has been used by DOTs in other states to justify closing rest areas.

[US 89]

These two rest areas on I-15 near Brigham City, Utah don't necessarily feel urban, but the census considers them to be within the Ogden urbanized area.

[Brandon]

I-80/294/Tri-State Tollway/Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis

Former/Doomed ISTHA Urban Oases: Hinsdale, O'Hare, Des Plaines

Enjoy Hinsdale while it lasts!

I thought O'Hare and Hinsdale were going to keep the gas stations and parking areas?

They are.

[cl94]

New York has SEVERAL. This is likely an exhaustive list, but there may be one I am missing.

I-87: Gas stations on the Deegan just south of the Bronx/Westchester C/L, Ardsley Service Area, Ramapo/Sloatsburg Service Areas, Clifton Park, Glens Falls (both directions)
I-90: Seneca (WB), Dewitt (EB), and Guilderland (WB) Service Areas
I-190: Grand Island at Exit 19
I-495: EB between Exits 51 and 52
I-684: Both rest areas
US 20/NY 5: in Geneva
Palisades Parkway: Rest area just north of NJ state line
Hutchinson River Parkway: between Exits 1 and 2 and 23/25
Grand Central Parkway: between Exits 7 and 8, next to LaGuardia Airport
Belt Parkway: just west of Exit 11
Taconic Parkway: south of NY 55

[ErmineNotyours]

If proximity to privately-run services count as urban amenities, than the off-exit Prosser Rest Area on I-82 would count.  It felt strange using this rest area with all the other attractions around.

[sbeaver44]

This reminds me, what is the history of the Baltimore Travel Plaza at I-95 Exit 57?  Is/was it an actual rest area, or just a private travel plaza?

[allniter89]

It was a truckstop in the 90s.

[webny99]

There is one in each direction on the Thruway in the Syracuse area, although "urban" could be debated in both cases. Also, the Scottsville Service Area near Exit 46 is now in the heart of the ever-expanding Henrietta suburbia.

Yeah, the Chittenango one ain't urban.

I think he was referring to Warners and DeWitt.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I was referring to Warners.

New York has SEVERAL. This is likely an exhaustive list, but there may be one I am missing.
...
I-90: Seneca (WB), Dewitt (EB), and Guilderland (WB) Service Areas
I-190: Grand Island at Exit 19

If we're including Seneca and Grand Island, we should also include Scottsville. Even though Seneca is on the six-lane segment, Scottsville (as noted above) backs right up to a new neighborhood, with more suburbia visible right there from the Thruway.

Warners and Clarence are a bit more iffy, but a case could be made for both.

[bing101]

https://goo.gl/maps/BS7UnXRuHnKPqnPA9

In Vallejo, CA there is the Hunter Hill Rest Area and its near the CA-37 @ I-80 Interchange.


https://www.mercurynews.com/2011/03/10/hunter-hill-rest-area-near-vallejo-reopens/


Also there is I-280 Near CA-92 Interchange where is a Rest Stop Halfway from San Jose and San Francisco.

[D-Dey65]

It was a truckstop in the 90s.

Still is, more or less.

[TheGrassGuy]

I-80/294/Tri-State Tollway/Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis

Former/Doomed ISTHA Urban Oases: Hinsdale, O'Hare, Des Plaines

Enjoy Hinsdale while it lasts!

I thought O'Hare and Hinsdale were going to keep the gas stations and parking areas?

They are.

I don't know about Hinsdale, but how is O'Hare going to keep the gas and parking if it literally had to be torn down to make room for Future I-490?

[Brandon]

I-80/294/Tri-State Tollway/Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis

Former/Doomed ISTHA Urban Oases: Hinsdale, O'Hare, Des Plaines

Enjoy Hinsdale while it lasts!

I thought O'Hare and Hinsdale were going to keep the gas stations and parking areas?

They are.

I don't know about Hinsdale, but how is O'Hare going to keep the gas and parking if it literally had to be torn down to make room for Future I-490?

It's not.  The interchange will be further south along I-294.  You're thinking of the former Des Plaines Oasis on I-90.