The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday) said it will stick with a 1991 policy that would keep rest areas along the interstate near Waukee and Ankeny. D-O-T spokesperson Deena Gray-Fisher says the need for those rest areas was questioned as planners looked at installing new interchanges in the same area. Gray-Fisher says the commission decided to stay with their policy.
She says the policy says anytime road construction or an interchange displaces a rest area, there should be a suitable replacement site found so the services are still provided to travelers. Some have questioned the need for rest areas when there are commercial businesses located nearby.
Gray-Fisher says the commission decided that the commercial businesses don’t offer everything travelers need. She says a number of services are provided in the rest area that aren’t provided by convenience stores, such as a picnic area, a place to stretch your legs, or even a place for travelers or truck drivers to park and rest. Gray-Fisher says if the road project is a state project, then the state would pay to replace the rest area, and if it’s a local project, the local government would pay the cost of re-locating the rest area.