Are Rest Areas Obsolete?

[HighwayStar]

Vote for me, vote for me
I want the nomination for the Presidency
Vote for me, vote for me
If I am elected, this is how it will be.
I'll cut your tax in half
I'll make the Russians laugh
I'll feed the hungry people everywhere.
I'll bring the highways back
New numbers and new rest areas service plazas
From Waikiki to old Delaware.

[jmacswimmer]

There is a rest area (called a travel center by MDSHA signing) in Baltimore, MD on I-95.  It is run by a hotel company (or a hotel management company anyway), a fuel company, and a local retail vendor and allows Greyhound Buses to make a stop there. 

Its near the Fort McHenry Tunnel and can be also accessed from NB I-895 at O Donnell Street exit, but unsigned from it though.

That is a weird travel center. Trucks don't seem to be allowed, and it is readily accessible by surface streets. It's basically just a run of the mill hotel complex.

It actually closed back in 2011 - it also doubled as a bus terminal for Greyhound, who decided at that time to shift service elsewhere (at which point the hotel repurposed the space).  However, it appears MDTA never removed the "Baltimore Travel Plaza" references from auxiliary signage approaching exit 57.

(There's also a TA truck stop that still exists directly across the street from where the Baltimore Travel Plaza was.)

[hbelkins]

I'm finding that there are people on here that greatly underestimate the cost of building and maintaining rest areas. The cost of maintaining rest areas has been a consistent problem in New York for as long as I've worked at NYSDOT.

I heard it explained that rest areas are expensive because they are usually far from utilities, being away from cities and interchanges, and often have to build their own water and sewage systems just for the rest stop.

....

A friend of mine who works for the Nevada state government confirms this. They're having a problem with locating an EV charger on one particular portion of I-80 and a gas station owner on one side of the highway refuses to host it. I asked my friend why they can't put it at the rest area on the opposite side of the highway there, recognizing that the rest area is less developed than I'm used to on the East Coast, and he said it had to do with the prohibitive cost because the rest area doesn't have the necessary electricity to allow for a charger.

Edited to add: I had posted about this in another thread and here's the link; one of my posts contains his response explaining why the rest area isn't an option.

Why would the state government be involved in placing an EV charging station? It doesn't place gas pumps, so why should it place an EV charger? Seems to me this is a matter best suited for the private sector.

Or if it's vital to place it near the gas station, use eminent domain to acquire the proper location.

If you read my friend's tweets, you'll see it has something to do with ensuring continued access to federal highway funding. I don't know the full background beyond what his tweets say about it.

I went back and read those tweets (I don't normally read that board, as I typically don't travel that far west).

Around here, if an electrical customer needs a three-phase line for their service, the electric company will install a three-phase line. If the need for one was there, I don't know why the power company serving that region would not install one.

[skluth]

I'm finding that there are people on here that greatly underestimate the cost of building and maintaining rest areas. The cost of maintaining rest areas has been a consistent problem in New York for as long as I've worked at NYSDOT.

I heard it explained that rest areas are expensive because they are usually far from utilities, being away from cities and interchanges, and often have to build their own water and sewage systems just for the rest stop.

There's no law saying rest areas need to be in rural areas. Wisconsin has a rest area/ welcome center just outside Beloit. Colorado has one Burlington, the first town westbound on I-70 entering the state. The Burlington rest area would make a good template on how to incorporate a rest area to promote tourism in small towns. Maybe the problem is the placement of rest areas, not the existence of rest areas.

So eliminate rest areas in rural areas where there's no place else around for people to use the bathroom, grab a soda or snack, or rest or a few minutes? I think you're totally missing the point of rest areas.

It's not like Burlington, CO is urban. It's a small town (<4000 people) that's large enough to supply utilities. Most areas of the country have this size community along interstates at least every 30-50 miles. There are exceptions in desert and mountain areas, but even there it's rare to drive an hour on the interstate without coming across a town with some utilities. And if it is that long a gap, there is usually a sign to the effect of "No services for the next XX miles."

I also never said to eliminate placing rest areas in rural areas, only that if the difficulty (usually price) is too great to place one in a rural area to consider placing them where the utilities are located. Personally, I love them in rural areas, even if it means smelling a nearby dairy farm or being in the middle of wind farm.

[In_Correct]

If there are no Towns to supply Desired Utilities for the Rest Areas, the superhighway must be converted to Beautiful Toll Roads and the Rest Areas be converted to Elegant Toll Plazas. And then the Desired Utilities can be installed.

[GCrites]

Then there's places like Colorado where the bulk of the rest areas are located off of cross streets.

Now that's weird. I think even ones that make you get off at a regular exit are pretty weird though, like the Bluefield WV Welcome Center.

[US71]

ARDOT upgraded their Rest Areas with self service info kiosks.

[GCrites]

I'm finding that there are people on here that greatly underestimate the cost of building and maintaining rest areas. The cost of maintaining rest areas has been a consistent problem in New York for as long as I've worked at NYSDOT.

I heard it explained that rest areas are expensive because they are usually far from utilities, being away from cities and interchanges, and often have to build their own water and sewage systems just for the rest stop.

....

A friend of mine who works for the Nevada state government confirms this. They're having a problem with locating an EV charger on one particular portion of I-80 and a gas station owner on one side of the highway refuses to host it. I asked my friend why they can't put it at the rest area on the opposite side of the highway there, recognizing that the rest area is less developed than I'm used to on the East Coast, and he said it had to do with the prohibitive cost because the rest area doesn't have the necessary electricity to allow for a charger.

Edited to add: I had posted about this in another thread and here's the link; one of my posts contains his response explaining why the rest area isn't an option.

Why would the state government be involved in placing an EV charging station? It doesn't place gas pumps, so why should it place an EV charger? Seems to me this is a matter best suited for the private sector.

Or if it's vital to place it near the gas station, use eminent domain to acquire the proper location.

If you read my friend's tweets, you'll see it has something to do with ensuring continued access to federal highway funding. I don't know the full background beyond what his tweets say about it.

I went back and read those tweets (I don't normally read that board, as I typically don't travel that far west).

Around here, if an electrical customer needs a three-phase line for their service, the electric company will install a three-phase line. If the need for one was there, I don't know why the power company serving that region would not install one.

I know of at least one OSU building that has an EV charger. So the state funds it (at least partially) through the filter of Ohio State. Unless it was funded another way of course -- say though a donation or a corporate partnership.

[CtrlAltDel]

Then there's places like Colorado where the bulk of the rest areas are located off of cross streets.

Now that's weird. I think even ones that make you get off at a regular exit are pretty weird though, like the Bluefield WV Welcome Center.

That's what I mean. Here's an example from near Julesburg, on I-76 in the northeastern part of the state.


That said, there are some rest areas on regular roads, too, like this on US-160 near Gerrard.

[Dirt Roads]

Then there's places like Colorado where the bulk of the rest areas are located off of cross streets.

Now that's weird. I think even ones that make you get off at a regular exit are pretty weird though, like the Bluefield WV Welcome Center.

There's a strange one on I-40 at the Warsaw exit (Exit 364) that is located between the lanes of the Interstate but only accessible via the exit.  Even stranger, the lanes of the Interstate are built up on fill overlooking the rest area, which conveniently protects the rest area from the wonderful smells of the local pig farms.  Always wondered if this was intentional.  I'm a country boy at heart, but many of the folks stopping at the Pilot truck stop/travel center are overwhelmed.

[Love2drive]

Not at all.  On the drive down to Hilton Head last month, stopped at two rest stops on the way down.  One on 77 and one on 95.  Good for a rest room break, snack, and a few minutes o walking around to stretch the legs.

[CtrlAltDel]

Then there's places like Colorado where the bulk of the rest areas are located off of cross streets.

Now that's weird. I think even ones that make you get off at a regular exit are pretty weird though, like the Bluefield WV Welcome Center.

There's a strange one on I-40 at the Warsaw exit (Exit 364) that is located between the lanes of the Interstate but only accessible via the exit.

Wow, that is weird. Interesting, but definitely out of the ordinary.

That said, I have to say that it would be helpful to mention the state you're referring to in the post. At first, I thought you were referring to I-40 in Colorado or West Virginia, which was confusing, since, as we know, I-40 doesn't go through either of those states.

[Dirt Roads]

There's a strange one on I-40 at the Warsaw exit (Exit 364) that is located between the lanes of the Interstate but only accessible via the exit.

Wow, that is weird. Interesting, but definitely out of the ordinary.

That said, I have to say that it would be helpful to mention the state you're referring to in the post. At first, I thought you were referring to I-40 in Colorado or West Virginia, which was confusing, since, as we know, I-40 doesn't go through either of those states.

Oops.  Warsaw, North Carolina. 

[Avalanchez71]

The rest areas now seem to be devoid of state travel maps.

[Roadgeekteen]

The rest areas now seem to be devoid of state travel maps.

I've been seeing less of them, google maps probably obsoleted many of them.

[ethanhopkin14]

Not in the least bit obsolete.  As has been mentioned on this thread previous, the closing for rest areas because of crime, the cost of maintenance or a once rural area becoming more urbanized has lead to the myth that they are a thing of the past.  If anything, there needs to be more.  As an RVer, they are amazing, not just as a place to camp for the night, but they are glorified exit/entrance ramps which means no hard right or left hand turns.  They have ample parking for large vehicles and some are very scenic.  Take into consideration their supposed replacement, the gas station or fast food restaurant; sometimes you have several hard turns to get into the business, then once in the parking lot you find it is not adequate for a large vehicle (or you have to park three businesses down to access the business you want).  God forbid you need gas as well and you pull up to find a gas station that there is not enough room to fit your rig at the pump (I know this is another argument since rest areas don't compete with gas stations for gas, but it's part of the annoyance of driving a large vehicle).  Obviously I have a bathroom on board, so frequent bathroom stops get cut down for the passengers involved, but I still have to stop somewhere when I want to go to the bathroom and rest areas make a convenient way to get off the highway to do so. 

I love them for their picnic areas and information at them. 

I know this is not an issue for everyone because not everyone is an RVer, but the thing about driving a Motorhome is you get a small look behind the curtain of what driving is like for an 18-wheeler without having to get a job as a truck driver.  Things like rest areas are built intentionally for drivers in larger vehicles so as to make their long haul travel more accommodating. 

I just used two for camping for the night this past week.  One at the Arizona/New Mexico state line on I-40 and the one at the scenic overlook on I-10 in Las Cruces, NM.  The one on I-40 has a train track on the opposite side of I-40 so it's kinda noisy (although it would wake me, I went right back to sleep).  The one on I-10 is a rest area that is kinda a landmark one in that it is a good marker for a days drive, so all that are there are bedding down for the night.  Meaning, you wont get bother; everyone just wants to get some sleep. 

[MCRoads]

Well, I think they have their uses. But, I want to point out a really strange one I have personally been to:

US 64 West of Taos, NM, near the Rio Grande Bridge. It has no other purpose other than to look at the bridge, and as a place for people to sell stuff. It's not really even a rest area, but all signs seem to mark it as one.

[ethanhopkin14]

Something I forgot to say, in Texas, they are being upgraded, yes, but others have closed forever, and mostly because they were located in areas that were once rural but are no longer.  I agree that rest areas in urban areas are weird, but I don't think that is a good reason to close them.  Two notable examples are one south of New Braunfels and one north of San Marcos, both on I-35.  Yes with I-35 becoming 6 lanes and the rapid growth, the highway no longer resembles it's rural nature it did 40 to 50 years ago, but they are still needed. 

[US71]

Something I forgot to say, in Texas, they are being upgraded, yes, but others have closed forever, and mostly because they were located in areas that were once rural but are no longer.  I agree that rest areas in urban areas are weird, but I don't think that is a good reason to close them.  Two notable examples are one south of New Braunfels and one north of San Marcos, both on I-35.  Yes with I-35 becoming 6 lanes and the rapid growth, the highway no longer resembles it's rural nature it did 40 to 50 years ago, but they are still needed. 

MoDOT has converted a couple Rest Areas to Truck Parking

[machias]

Much of Interstate 81 in New York was built with Parking Areas, and not Rest Areas, when originally constructed in the late 50s and early 60s. It wouldn't be until the early to mid 1980s that we'd start seeing the rest areas being built, particularly north of Syracuse. They were a welcome relief (no pun intended) for travelers coming down out of Canada into the states, or those going up to the 1000 Islands. Before the rest areas there were sets of signs that said "No services on this route" / "Find services at interchanges".  A couple of parking areas are still there (south of LaFayette, around Watertown). The last time I was in New York State the Hastings rest area, which had been opened around 84 or 85 (IIRC) was still closed down due to lack of funding, though on the last sign rehab new Rest Area signs were installed and covered up. I think the others are still open and they seemed to be busy.

As a frequent traveler I'm thankful for rest areas. In many states, particularly in the midwest and southwest, they're in decent shape, are clean, and frequent enough when you're out in the middle of nowhere.

[renegade]

Are rest areas obsolete?

Not if you need to pee really bad.   

[Great Lakes Roads]

Are rest areas obsolete? No, and I have seen some states that are upgrading their rest areas to add more truck parking!