Pennsylvania reopens 10 more rest areas, 23 in total

March 24, 2020

Tyson Fisher

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After closing all rest areas in response to COVID-19 and then reopening 13 on March 18, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has announced the reopening of 10 more rest areas.

On March 24, PennDOT announced that it is reopening indoor facilities at 23 rest areas across Pennsylvania to all motorists, including the 13 facilities in critical locations that were reopened with portable restrooms and handwashing facilities.

All reopened rest areas will return to normal service with additional cleaning and maintenance:

  • Interstate 79 northbound in Allegheny County, 8 miles north of Exit 45.
  • Interstate 79 northbound in Crawford County, 8 miles north of Exit 154.
  • Interstate 79 southbound in Crawford County, 3 miles south of Exit 166.
  • Interstate 79 northbound in Lawrence County, 3.5 miles north of Exit 105.
  • Interstate 79 southbound in Lawrence County, 3.5 miles south of Exit 113.
  • Interstate 79 northbound in Mercer County, 5 miles south of Exit 141.
  • Interstate 79 southbound in Mercer County, 6 miles north of Exit 130.
  • Interstate 80 eastbound in Centre County, 13 miles east of Exit 133.
  • Interstate 80 westbound in Centre County, .5 miles west of Exit 147.
  • Interstate 80 eastbound in Jefferson County, 1 mile east of Exit 86.
  • Interstate 80 westbound in Jefferson County, 10 miles west of Exit 97.
  • Interstate 80 eastbound in Montour County, 4.5 miles east of Exit 215.
  • Interstate 80 westbound in Montour County, 4.5 miles west of Exit 224.
  • Interstate 80 eastbound in Venango County, .5 miles east of Exit 29.
  • Interstate 80 westbound in Venango County, 4 miles west of Exit 35.
  • Interstate 81 northbound in Cumberland County, .5 miles north of Exit 37.
  • Interstate 81 southbound in Cumberland County, 5.5 miles south of Exit 44.
  • Interstate 81 northbound in Lackawanna County, .5 miles north of Exit 202.
  • Interstate 81 northbound in Luzerne County, 1.5 miles north of Exit 155.
  • Interstate 81 southbound in Luzerne County, 1.5 miles south of Exit 159.
  • Interstate 81 southbound in Susquehanna County, 4 miles south of Exit 211.
  • Interstate 84 eastbound in Pike County, 6 miles east of Exit 20.
  • Interstate 84 westbound in Pike County, 1 mile west of Exit 26.

The move comes after several trucking industry stakeholders, including the Owner-Operator Independent Driver’s Association, urged the state to rethink the closure of rest areas as truckers continue to provide directly to relief efforts.

“Pennsylvania’s policies on rest areas may be giving truckers whiplash, but it appears the state finally appreciates what OOIDA has been telling them for a week – open rest areas are critical to the safety of professional drivers and the efficient movement of freight across the country,” said OOIDA Director of Government Affairs Collin Long.

PennDOT will continue to evaluate and will determine whether additional rest areas can be reopened. For up-to-date information regarding rest area availability through the nation, check out Land Line’s COVID-19 resource page.