This new facility offers a whopping 84 additional parking spaces to help ease the nationwide shortage of parking spots for large vehicles. Best of all, the new lot is conveniently located in West Memphis, Arkansas, on I-40 Westbound, just west of mile marker 275.

Director of ArDOT, Lorie Tudor, calls the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility a significant moment for the state.

“It symbolizes safer travel on our Interstates, so that more truckers can find a safe place to park and get the rest they need,” Tudor said. “It also shows our support of an industry that is vital to our economy and to delivering the goods we all want and need, but sometimes take for granted how they get to us.”

According to Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, 87% of Arkansas communities rely solely on trucks to deliver essential goods.

“The trucking industry is the lifeblood of commerce – connecting business, communities and consumers across the country and across the state,” Newton said during the ceremony. “These spaces will provide a safe and convenient resting place for more than 20,000 dedicated truck drivers who pass through West Memphis each and every day.”

Although the facility is now open, there is still more work to be done to improve it. The next phase of the expansion project, which has a $1 million budget, will focus on adding restrooms and an Arkansas State Police substation to enhance the site’s functionality.

Bidding for this project is set to begin in June. This project is made possible by grants amounting to roughly $7.1 million, which were provided by the Arkansas Commercial Truck Safety and Education Program.

This program was established in 2013 to promote roadway safety in Arkansas by improving commercial truck safety through public-private cooperation. As part of the initiative, stakeholders from the trucking industry agreed to a 15% increase in registration fees for certain trucks operating in Arkansas.

The first $2 million generated by this increase is directed towards projects that benefit the trucking industry.

Source: Land Line

The post Arkansas Unveils New Truck Parking Facility on I-40 appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

“We are still in the design phase, but our estimated total number of new parking spaces, including all three rest areas, will be between 120 and 140,” Paul Wappel, IDOT spokesman, said in an interview with Transport Topics. “We anticipate the Rail Splitter Rest Area project will go to letting (open for bids) in the fall of 2023. The Coalfield Rest Area project and Fort Massac Rest Area project are both anticipated to go to letting during the summer-fall of 2024.”

Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker, recently announced grants for 22 infrastructure projects aimed at addressing traffic jams, improving mobility and boosting the supply chain across the state. Valued at a total of $2.5 trillion, the projects include $40 million for capacity upgrades at the Illinois Route 17 interchange with I-57 in Kankakee, $4.3 million for improvements at the Kaskaskia Regional Port District and $18.8 million for a new Illinois U.S. 50 bridge over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. With 1.6 billion tons of freight flowing in and out of the state each year, Illinois is among the top three states for freight activity and the transportation hub of North America, according to the governor’s office.

Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) officials are working to address the state’s outdated rest areas and high demand for truck parking. Multiple studies have revealed that 57% of the interstate system has greater demand for truck parking than capacity, and the average age of rest areas is 35 years old, with excessive spacing between many rest areas. On average, rest areas are located 52 miles apart, with some traveling segments having rest areas more than 70 miles away.

Currently, the state has 53 rest areas with an average of 25 truck parking stalls, providing restrooms, drinking water, traveler information, and picnic areas. The Rail Splitter Rest Area, 5 miles north of Springfield, and the Coalfield rest area, 25 miles south of Springfield, are receiving funding for updates.

IDOT has identified I-55 (and I-57) as having among the highest average volume of trucks parking on shoulder areas due to a lack of available safe parking spaces. IDOT is working to increase available truck parking slots, leveraging federal and state funds to maximize available resources.

Illinois has a total of 11,262 truck parking places, including 90 public areas with 1,622 available truck parking slots, and 206 private truck stops with 9,640 spaces. With truckers facing challenges in finding rest areas and safe, available parking spaces on the interstates, IDOT’s efforts will help ensure safer, more efficient travel for all.

Source: Transport Topics

The post Illinois Expands Truck Parking with Over 100 New Spots at Three Rest Areas appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

A new app has divided the country into six regions and compiled data on which areas have the highest percentage of “No spaces available” responses. Find out where it’s toughest to find parking in your region with just a few taps on your phone.

The worst regions for truck parking, based on this data, are listed below. The percentage of reported time where there were no available truck parking spaces within the region is also listed.

• Southeast, 23% of the time
• Northeast, 21% of the time
• South Central, 20% of the time
• West, 19% of the time
• Midwest, 17% of the time
• North Central, 15% of the time

Conversely, the individual locations with the highest reported percentage of “There are many” parking spaces available are listed below.

• In the Northeast, the TA in Milesburg, Pennsylvania
• In the Southeast, Discount Truck Parking in Orlando, Florida
• In the Midwest, a rest area on County Road 62 in Auburn, Indiana
• In the South Central, the Gateway Travel Plaza in Vidro, Texas
• In the Central, the TA Beto Junction in Lebo, Kansas
• In the West, the Petro in Wells, Nevada

According to Trucker Path, the app has roughly one million users.

Source: truckersnews

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