Finding a safe, legal place to park remains one of the biggest day-to-day challenges on the road. In Ohio, new construction projects are starting to ease that pressure, with additional truck parking coming online along key interstate routes.
Plans first announced in 2023 to modernize 36 rest areas statewide are now moving into visible construction phases. That effort includes expanding parking availability to better match today’s traffic levels and freight demand.
Recent reopenings along Interstate 75 in Miami County mark an early milestone. Rest areas in Troy and Piqua, which had been closed for more than a year, are now back in service with expanded capacity. The Troy location offers 48 truck parking spaces, while Piqua provides 46 spaces.
Attention is now turning to Interstate 71, where rest areas in Medina County are being converted specifically for truck parking use. These locations are scheduled to close on March 2, after which demolition and reconstruction will begin.
“There are additional rest areas within 30 miles of this location, and upgrading these rest areas would have required a significant investment,” said Bob Weaver, deputy director for District 3 at the Ohio Department of Transportation. “Converting them to truck parking will help to improve safety for all motorists along the I-71 corridor.”
Once completed, the northbound I-71 site will provide 29 truck parking spaces, while the southbound location will add 66 spaces. The $6.8 million project also includes upgraded lighting and restroom facilities to support overnight and extended stops.
According to ODOT, roughly 3,000 trucks move through this stretch of I-71 each day, underscoring the need for added capacity in a corridor that sees steady commercial traffic.
This work is part of a broader statewide push. Last July, Ohio announced a separate initiative to add approximately 1,400 truck parking spaces across the state. Freight volumes are projected to rise significantly, with ODOT estimating a 26% increase by 2045.
“As Ohio’s economy continues to grow, so do the number of trucks traveling on Ohio’s network of interstates and state routes,” said Mike DeWine in a statement. “By expanding safe, accessible places for drivers to rest, we’re supporting the people who keep our economy moving and making it safer for everyone on our roads.”
If completed as planned, the expansion would place Ohio at the top nationally for long-term truck parking spaces on state-owned property, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
For those running through Ohio regularly, the added capacity along I-71 and other major routes signals incremental but meaningful progress on one of the industry’s most persistent infrastructure challenges.
Source: Landline Media
