In addition, Iowa officials are working with other states to develop a truck parking information program to make more efficient use of public truck parking and commercial truck parking spaces.ĭelia Meier, senior vice president of the Iowa 80 Truckstop near Walcott, which is billed as the world's largest truck stop, serves on an Iowa DOT freight advisory committee that has been briefed on the rest stop study. To address truck parking needs, the DOT is looking at providing additional truck parking at remaining rest areas, at truck weigh stations, or other sites, Henry said. So the DOT is trying to determine if it needs to keep so many state-owned facilities in operation, she said. "In addition, there are more commercial opportunities for rest stop periods available 24 hours a day at gas stations, truck stops, those sorts of things," Henry said. Now the federal requirements have changed and there is an hour between rest stop periods. "When interstate rest stops were first built in the 1960s, the federal requirement was that we needed to provide a place to rest every 30 minutes. "There are two things going on here," said DOT spokeswoman Andrea Henry. Why is the department looking at closing stops? However, over a five-to-15-year period, rest areas would be shut down at Osceola northbound and southbound on I-35 in Clarke County Story City northbound on I-35 in Story County Loveland eastbound and westbound on I-680 in Pottawattamie County Missouri Valley northbound and southbound on I-29 in Harrison County and Sergeant Bluff northbound and southbound on I-29 in Woodbury County. Beyond 15 years, the DOT would close the Story City southbound rest area on I-35. The only rest area targeted for closure over the next five years would be the Davenport eastbound rest stop on I-80 in Scott County. Each rest area was ranked and evaluated on a variety of criteria, including usage, facility age, services provided, rest area spacing, 24-hour alternative locations, truck-parking availability and demand, and uniqueness. Work on the plan has been ongoing since 2012. Public comments will be accepted until September 2019 - an unusually long comment period. The public can comment on the draft plan at. View Gallery: Photos: Iowa DOT looks at closing multiple interstate rest areas The public can comment on the 15-year plan The DOT plan would implement nearly all of the closures over the next 15 years, saving the state as much as $25 million over that period. If enacted, it could have a big impact on the 15.5 million annual guests who use the state's existing 38 interstate rest areas. The draft management plan, which must still be approved by the policy-making Iowa Transportation Commission, is getting mixed reviews. The plan would affect those driving through the state and thousands of truck drivers who already scramble to find places to park their trucks when they reach mandatory daily limits on hours of service. All 16 parking-only sites along Iowa's interstate system would close under the plan and drivers would be directed to expanded public parking elsewhere or to commercial truck stops. Watch Video: Iowa's transportation system: Moving people and commerceĪ sweeping Iowa Department of Transportation plan would gradually shut down 11 interstate highway rest areas statewide, suggesting they are no longer required because of changing travel trends and a push for more efficiency.
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