The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced the latest rest area upgrades as it continues renovation projects to key facilities along major highways.
Updates to rest area locations in Lathrop on Interstate 35, Dearborn on Interstate 29 and Bloomsdale on Interstate 55 have been completed, MoDOT said.
Rest area facilities in Boonville along Interstate 70 are the latest to reopen with updates.
These facilities now have fully rebuilt exteriors, spacious common areas, device charging outlets, indoor vending and meet modern American with Disabilities Act standards.
“This site alone sees over 400,000 vehicles every year, so it’s crucial for not just I-70 but for all of the traffic going across the state,” MoDOT’s Statewide Facility Manager Scott Emmerich said. “The old facility here was built back in the 70s, so we wanted to upgrade it to meet ADA for truck drivers, commuter cars and other travelers.”
Additionally, there are outside spaces and a shelter for inclement weather.
Sloped sidewalks have been added for better access from the truck parking side of the facility.
“I think these renovations show that we’re serious about safety,” Scott said
Truck parking is also being added at locations across Missouri as part of the Improve I-70 project.
The state currently maintains 31 truck-only parking sites, according to a news release.
MoDOT said over 10,000 trucks travel I-70 daily, and during peak hours, I-70 public truck parking is over capacity, as are 75% of privately-owned truck parking spaces.
“Through federal grant funds, this project will improve existing locations and expand the availability of truck parking locations along this critical freight corridor,” Warren Erdman, Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission Chairman, said.
OOIDA has said substantive investments in truck parking are long overdue and maintains that it is the top safety concern for American truckers. LL
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