Rest area closing for more truck spaces

Mar. 26—The southbound Interstate 29 rest stop near Dearborn, Missouri, has closed permanently as the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to create a safer option for truck drivers.

Marty Liles, MoDOT Northwest District Engineer, said workers have begun converting the facility into a parking lot for truck drivers to rest, as 87 of the 141 such sites near Missouri interstates are at capacity during peak hours.

"Truck drivers have to stop after so many hours on the road," Liles said. "If they don't have these locations, they actually stop and sit and rest where they can. They start to overflow other places and it makes it very unsafe for those situations to happen. So in this situation, we're starting to see more and more of the need for truck parking."

Liles said by converting the rest area to truck parking, they can meet the needs of commercial vehicles while decreasing the costs associated with the renovation and upkeep of traditional rest areas.

"Overall, it's a much better opportunity for us to take this rest area and convert it into truck parking and then we could continue to expand on it if that's needed," he said.

Liles said there were about 12 parking spaces for truckers at the location near Dearborn, and that will be expanded to 37.

It's hoped the project can be completed by October, but officials said it could take up to a year.

For the time being, workers are asking area drivers to be vigilant on the road as I-29 is undergoing a lot of construction to create safer roads.

"Driving around construction can be frustrating and drivers see it happening around them often," Liles said. "But we have these projects done for the safety of our citizens, so we ask that people drive carefully and be mindful of our workers."

More information on additional road projects in Northwest Missouri can be found at www.modot.org.

Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.