Expanded truck parking on the horizon for Illinois rest areas

May 18, 2023

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Projects to expand truck parking at three rest areas in Illinois will soon be underway.

That new parking will come through renovations to the Rail Splitter, Fort Massac and Coalfield rest areas. Paul Wappel, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, says the projects are still in the design phase but are expected to add a combined total of 120 to 140 commercial truck parking spaces between the three sites.

Truck parking isn’t the only thing expected to get a facelift at the rest areas. Once completed, Wappel says each building at the sites – five in total – will have two sets of restrooms (two men’s, two women’s and family assist), vending areas along with a vending supplies area, a janitorial maintenance office, storage areas, tourism areas, mechanical facilities, and an Illinois State Police and security office.

To ensure safety, Wappel says the rest areas will have a full security system with Code Blue phones located both inside and outside the building. Additionally, each site will have the following outdoor amenities:

Picnic area with tables
Walking/exercising areas
Pathway lighting
Pet areas
Parking lots with new entrance and departure ramps
Medians to separate the cars and trucks
Ramp and parking lot lighting

Currently, the state has budgeted over $50 million for the cost of construction at the sites. $7 million in federal funds – provided through the National Highway Freight Program – will be allocated to the projects, with the state footing the rest of the bill.

The three truck parking projects are part of the state’s 2023 Freight Investment Plan.

Announced in March by Gov. JB Pritzker, the plan entails a nearly $200 million investment for 22 infrastructure improvement projects across Illinois. The state says those projects will “improve the movement of freight throughout the state, creating jobs and economic opportunity while enhancing safety and local quality of life.”

“Freight drives the Illinois economy in our role as the transportation hub of North America,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a statement. “Under Gov. Pritzker, IDOT is committed to improving freight movement locally, ultimately making Illinois more competitive in the global marketplace.”

Wappel tells Land Line that bidding for the Rail Splitter Rest Area project will begin this fall, with bidding on the other two projects expected to happen during the summer to fall of 2024. LL