#REST STOP I 95 DRIVERS#
#REST STOP I 95 FREE#

States that aren't allowed to lease rest-area space to businesses have to pay millions of dollars each year to clean and maintain the facilities. If many of them are closed, that means more tired eyes on the road, and for longer periods of time.

#REST STOP I 95 DRIVERS#

Additionally, rest areas serve as a place for weary drivers to pull over and take a break from time behind the wheel. Money spent on keeping rest stops open can mean less money for snow plows, road maintenance and highway crash response. Today, the issue reaches far beyond the number of restrooms on the highways.

By that time, states in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest had already built turnpikes and other major highways with commercialized rest stops, which were allowed to continue operating. The federal law bans the selling of food or fuel - or anything not sold from a vending machine - at rest areas on Interstates built after 1960. The disparity is due to a 1956 federal law aimed at protecting restaurants and gas stations located just off the exits of a growing Interstate highway system. In Virginia, the shuttering (and subsequent reopening) of these rest stops, which on average cost half a million dollars to run, has become one of the most visible signs of the current budget crisis. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Department of Transportationįurther south on Interstate 95, Virginia's rest stops are much more austere, with amenities limited to grills, grass and restrooms. Meanwhile, the states without commercialization are coming to see highway rest areas as a financial drain they might just as well do without.

#REST STOP I 95 FREE#

The states with commercialized rest stops like Delaware are free to find ways to milk them for more and more revenue. But the contrast has never been more stark than it is now. There's always been a difference between the highly commercialized highway rest areas in the Northeast and those in the South and West, where the stops often are little more than parking lots with bathrooms and perhaps some vending machines. The state's contract with HMSHost, a company that runs retail operations at many airports, gives Delaware a percentage of revenues from sales of gas, food and other goods - at least $1.6 million per year for 35 years. The rest stop actually makes Delaware money. Not only did Delaware not spend a dime constructing what amounts to a $35 million mini-mall in the highway median.

Last month, Delaware unveiled a sparkling new 42,000-square foot welcome center on the busy Interstate 95 corridor. In Delaware, however, the story couldn't possibly be more different. For Arizona, Louisiana and Virginia, the shuttering of roadside rest stops has become one of the most visible signs of the current budget crisis. Facing enormous budget deficits, many states have raided transportation funds, forcing them to shut down all but the most necessary of operations. New Mexico is the most recent case in a rash of rest-stop closures that has affected states from Vermont to California. State officials are considering closing nearly half of the state's 32 highway rest stops, in a move that could save the state up to $1.6 million in maintenance costs. | Georgia Welcome Center | Mile Marker 111 Port Wentworth, Georgia | Welcome Center (open from 8:30-5:30) with travel info 24-hour restrooms, vending machines, and picnic areas.Last month on the busy Interstate 95 corridor, Delaware unveiled a new $35 million welcome center, which houses restaurants and shops and is expected to bring additional money to the state.Īnyone making a long drive through New Mexico next year may want to plan bathroom breaks strategically. | South Carolina Welcome Center | Mile Marker 195 Dillon, South Carolina | Welcome Center (open from 8:00-5:00) with travel info 24-hour restrooms, free WiFi picnic tables, vending machines. | North Carolina Welcome Center | Mile Marker 181 Pleasant Hill, North Carolina | Welcome Center (open from 8:00-5:00) with travel info 24-hour restrooms, internet access/smart phone charging, picnic tables, vending machines. | Fredericksburg Welcome Center | Mile Marker 131 Fredericksburg, Virginia | Welcome Center (open from 8:30-5:00) with travel info 24-hour restrooms, picnic area, and vending machines. Features numerous restaurants, rest rooms, a gas station and EV charging stations. | Biden (AKA Delaware) Welcome Center | 9.6 miles South of the Delaware Memorial Bridge | This state-of-the-art rest stop on 95 south has received rave reviews for its amenities and sustainable design.

Another good rest stop going Southbound in NJ is the Thomas Edison Service Plaza (bet.

Exits 7 & 7A Hamilton Township, New Jersey | Fast food restaurants, bathrooms, a convenience store, gas station, and EV charging.

Rest stop i 95