AASHTO Journal - Ohio DOT Planning to Add I-71 Truck Parking Area

As part of a statewide initiative to significantly boost truck parking, the Ohio Department of Transportation plans to convert the existing Medina County north and southbound rest areas on I-71 into a new truck parking facility.

[Above photo via Ohio DOT]

The $6.8 million project includes expanding from 10 to 29 truck parking spaces at the I-71 northbound location and from 20 to 66 truck parking spaces at the I-71 southbound location. In addition to parking spaces, the site will include lighting and a restroom facility, the agency said.

Ohio DOT – which will close the existing Media County rest areas on March 2 to begin demolition and reconstruction work – noted that, on average, about 3,000 trucks pass the I-71 rest areas in Medina County each day.

“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 Ohio DOT District 3, in a statement. “Converting them to truck parking will help to improve safety for all motorists along the I-71 corridor.”

In 2024, Governor Mike DeWine (R) directed Ohio DOT to address the lack of truck parking in the state and to begin construction of additional truck parking sites as soon as possible. Following an extensive review of Ohio DOT property, the agency announced plans in 2025 to add at least 1,400 new truck parking spaces at 33 sites statewide.

Other state departments of transportation are also engaged in a variety of truck parking improvement efforts.

In early February, the Missouri Department of Transportation received “Statements of Qualifications” from the teams interested in competing for the contract for MoDOT’s Improve I-70: Truck Parking project, which includes approximately $30 million in federal grant funds to expand availability of truck parking along the I-70 corridor.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also recently noted that, in 2025, it built 339 more parking spaces for truck drivers traveling through the state as part of its commitment to adding at least 1,200 truck parking spaces by the end of 2026.

The agency said it quickly opened those spots at 24 locations statewide, including interstate on-ramps, other state-owned sites, and weigh stations where Pennsylvania State Police conduct motor carrier safety enforcement.

And the Arizona Department of Transportation recently opened a new truck parking lot at the Sunset Point Rest Area as part of a statewide plan to add hundreds of commercial truck parking spaces to meet the growing demand along interstate freeways.

The new lot on I-17 between Black Canyon City and Cordes Junction features 19 spaces at a rest area where demand is high for truck parking, as the existing 27 spaces for commercial vehicles lot are often at or near capacity. That $4.1 million project also added waterless vaulted toilets and covered areas for truck drivers to use.