I-95 South Rest Area Alleviates Parking Shortage for Tractor-Trailers

State and federal authorities gave truckers a late Christmas present in Howard County.

The Maryland State Highway Administration announced recently that the number of parking spaces for trucks has nearly tripled at the I-95 South Rest Area and Welcome Center in Savage.

Previously, the welcome center had 21 spaces for trucks.

Thanks to a $5.5 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration, the state was able to add 39 new truck parking spaces and upgrade lighting with energy-efficient LEDs, according to the State Highway Administration, which said some additional work will be finished in the spring.

The new spaces, which had been under construction since summer 2013, were unveiled on Dec. 30, 2014, as part of a federally funded initiative to increase safety and alleviate the nationwide tractor-trailer parking shortage, the State Highway Administration reported.

The lack of sufficient truck parking could lead to illegal, unsafe parking on shoulders and ramps. For example, State Trooper Shaft Hunter, 39, was killed in 2011 when his vehicle ran into a tractor-trailer parked on the side of I-95 south near the rest area.

See Also: Maryland State Trooper Killed in Truck Collision Near Laurel

“This expansion improves safety by providing additional spaces for truck drivers who have reached their hours-of-service limit or are staging for deliveries, preventing them from parking along the shoulders and ramps of southbound I-95,” State Highway Administrator Melinda B. Peters said.

The State Highway Administration also has a mobile app and interactive map to help truck drivers find parking anytime.

The Rest Area and Welcome Center is between the MD 32 and MD 216 exits in Savage. It also includes parking for cars, RVs and buses; and provides picnic tables, travel information, vending machines, water fountains, restrooms, newspaper stands and recycling bins. The rest area is open 24 hours a day, while the Welcome Center operates 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

See Also:

• Scholarship Fund Set Up for Six Children of State Trooper Shaft Hunter
• Fallen Trooper Shaft Hunter Memorialized with Sign on I-95
• Maryland House Reopens on I-95 After Renovations
• State Trooper Honored at Funeral in Baltimore County