Missouri receives grant to increase truck rest areas

In preparation for the expected doubling of truck traffic along Interstate 70 in Missouri by 2030, the state’s Dept. of Transportation announced it will use $1 million in federal money to add spaces for truck drivers to park their rigs and rest.

MoDOT said it has not determined how many new spaces will be added. Missouri currently has 207 parking spaces along the Interstate designated as truck rest stops in Odessa, Mineola, Concordia, Booneville and Wright City.

“We will work with freight-hauling customers to locate additional parking where it is most needed,” Jan Skouby, MoDOT’s motor carrier services director, said in a press release. “Where a driver stops to rest has a definite effect on the ability to deliver or pick up loads on time. Having safe, sufficient, properly located parking can affect the prices we pay at the store.”

Construction of the new rest spaces is expected to begin late next year.