Get nostalgic at rest areas

Missouri Route 66 theme at rest area - photo Lindsay Godfree

Rest areas are an intrigal part of life on the road. When I started trucking I began looking forward to the areas that had walking trails, flowers, and some interesting elements to break up the long drive each day. I also started tracking the best ones, photographing them, making sure to stop at my favorites. There are some really great rest areas, but even more rest stops are needed that provide walking trails for truckers and travelers to get out and exercise by walking or throwing a ball around.

The economic turn of events that has caused existing rest stops to be closed is a sad state of affairs for truckers and travelers alike. One hurdle for defenders of rest stops is that the facilities haven’t inspired nostalgia. Poets and novelists have written far less about rest stops the than diners, motels and other attractions that dot the highways such as on the historic old Route 66. Historians do not seem to be interested in tracking the development of rest areas.

Some states and travel bureaus have recognized their importance and realized that for some people, what they see at the rest stop is their introduction to the state they are traveling through. The first impression of a place, and maybe the only chance they have to make a good impression on the travelers. Some of the more ambitious rest areas incorporate tepees, adobe huts, windmills, oil rigs, and bits of historic past like bridges, wagons, or markers into their designs.

Fortunately, a historical consultant in Chicago, Joanna Dowling broke new ground in 2007 with a master’s thesis on the development of interstate rest areas. She laments, “People don’t see it as an academic thing because it’s a bathroom.” And hoping to add more weight to a preservation movement, Joanna has launched a Web site for buffs, www.restareahistory.org. You can also follow on facebook and twitter.

One of my favorite rest stops is in Missouri on Hwy 44 at Exit 110, offering new information on an old theme, the Historic Route 66 Byway. Missouri has gained renewed nostalgic interest by promoting business and tourism at the new welcome centers. The rest areas have their own neon signs that are replicas of the Munger Moss Motel located in Lebanon, that has become internationally famous. The picnic area incorporates designs from the area in a cute village for families for rest and relaxation. Inside are vintage gas pumps and neon signs that inspire visitors to see more of the real historic places.

I learned that the Historic Route 66 in Missouri ran from downtown St. Louis at the Mississippi River to the Kansas state line west of Joplin. The current highways covering several miles of the former highway include Route 100, Route 366, Route 266, Route 96, and Route 66. Interstate 44 approximates much of US 66 between St. Louis and Springfield. At the welcome center they provide a map with easy on and off ramps from the highway to see the sites of Route 66 in Missouri.

photo - Lindsay Godfree

More states should consider making use of their rest areas as a symbol of their state pride and unique contributions to travelers as well as providing needed parking for tired drivers and truckers. If you are a fan of rest stops, be sure to stop in and sign the guest books at the welcome centers, put in a good word supporting rest area preservation.

One new resource for finding rest areas: Interstate Rest Area Guide USD $ 9.99

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Are rest areas obsolete?

Have you been driving, counting down the 50 miles to the next rest stop marked on your map, only to find it closed and barred shut? What do truckers do when the next services are another 50 miles and they are too tired to go on? During the recent financial crises faced by state budgets across America, a growing number of states have come to see rest areas as expendable rather than spend money on maintenance and repairs. For truckers, these closures seriously impact parking spaces for sleep, a safe place to stop and walk around when drowsy, get a snack, or walk the dog.

The American Trucking Associations opposes the closures, arguing that privately operated truck stops off highway exits can’t handle the truck traffic. The National Association of Blind Merchants and AAA have also spoken up against closing them. AAA cited the safety issues and loss of life, showing that a fifth of car crashes on highways involves drowsy drivers and warns that percentage could rise if rest areas disappear.

Many of the eighteen Arizona rest stops were closed due to the state’s budget woes, but the Arizona Department of Transportation (AZDOT) re-opened most of them as of October 6, 2010. Four have remained closed due to the need for serious repairs. Since 2000, Louisiana has permanently closed, 24 of its 34 rest areas. Six rest areas in New York were closed last year due to budget cuts. Maine, Vermont and Colorado announced plans to shut down rest areas because of cash constraints.

Each state pays for the operation and maintenance of highway rest stops, and Federal highway money is not allowed to be used on rest areas. To cover the costs, states are looking at allowing private companies to lease the rest areas as a solution maintenance costs. The proposed bill called “Jason’s Law” has provisions for joint public-private partnerships for more truck parking. Another option being explored is for the state to completely privatize all rest stops. Congress has to first repeal a 1956 federal law that prohibits new commercial operations in rest areas along roads built with federal money to allow this to happen.

In Minnesota, rest areas have been temporarily closed during the complete shut down of the states government, as of June 30th. Truck drivers are joining the long list of groups asking for relief on the fifth day of the state government shutdown. Truckers want the state to reopen freeway rest areas so that they can make their mandatory stops.

Currently, a note at the top of the Minnesota DOT website says, “Due to the shutdown of state government services, web pages have not been updated since 5 p.m. June 30. Email accounts and telephones are not being monitored and messages will not be returned during the shutdown.” From MPR News July 5, 2011 -Truckers want rest stops reopened during shutdown

Rest areas are not obsolete or expendable but essential to safe travel across the interstate highways. It seems obvious that a solution must be found to remedy the situation of too few rest areas or the money necessary to support them. With the breakdown in government’s ability to balance their own budgets and work toward meaningful solutions in many areas, it appears that rest stops may be left to private enterprise to provide the services needed to keep American goods rolling down the highways.

If agreements and solutions cannot be found in government, they need to get out of the way. Maybe this situation in Minnesota is the perfect eye opener to a national problem that cannot be allowed to worsen.

Other Sources: (From Wall Street Journal 2009 – R.I.P.: Budget Woes Spell Doom for Roadside Rest Stops

Rest area status in Arizona http://www.arizona-vacation-planner.com/arizona-rest-areas.html

www.interstaterestareas.com

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