Maryland begins construction on truck parking expansion project

A truck parking expansion project in Maryland will soon add much-needed spaces to a rest area along Interstate 70.

On Sept. 19, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration announced that construction had begun on a project to increase the number of parking spaces for semis and other large vehicles at the I-70 South Mountain Welcome Center in Frederick County.

According to the department, the project will add a total of 25 new parking spaces: 15 spaces at the eastbound rest area and 10 new spaces at the westbound rest area. Those new spaces will increase the total truck parking at the site over 50% from the current combined 49 spaces.

Construction of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The additional truck parking will be a welcome addition for truckers using the I-70 South Mountain Welcome Center while traveling across the state.

According to a statewide truck parking study conducted by MDOT in 2020, the site had “the highest proportion of trucks parked more than eight hours in the state and is often at capacity in the truck rest areas.”

“The Maryland Department of Transportation has a history of identifying and addressing truck parking needs, recognizing that when truck drivers are unable to find safe and available truck parking, they park in undesignated locations, such as roadway shoulders or on/off ramps,” the department said in its study. “Undesignated truck parking poses a safety risk for truck drivers and other roadway users, damages infrastructure and impacts Maryland’s economic competitiveness.”

Maryland isn’t the only state to address a truck parking shortage. Legislative efforts in Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and New York all look to address the need for additional parking in their respective states. LL

More truck parking news from Land Line can be found here.