Truck rest area reopening in Richmond

THE R.I. Department of Transportation said the truck rest area along Interstate 95 North, between exits 2 and 3, will reopen Friday by 8 a.m.
THE R.I. Department of Transportation said the truck rest area along Interstate 95 North, between exits 2 and 3, will reopen Friday by 8 a.m.

RICHMOND – The truck rest area along Interstate 95 North, between exits 2 and 3, will reopen Friday by 8 a.m., the R.I. Department of Transportation said.

RIDOT said Thursday that it accelerated its planned reopening of the truck rest area, which closed in 2011. It had planned to reopen the rest stop in mid-September, but was able to complete the work in just over a week.
The agency said maintenance staff swept and restriped the parking lots, repaired guardrails, installed new signage, activated and made repairs to the overhead lighting system, and cleared excessive weeds and brush from the grounds.

RIDOT said it will continue work on the facility – which also functioned as a state welcome center – with the goal of reopening interior spaces, including indoor restrooms, by the month’s end. RIDOT will have portable restrooms available in time for Friday’s opening.

The rest area will provide additional safe parking for truck drivers, who must comply with federal regulations that limit the number of hours they can drive and establish minimum rest periods between shifts, according to RIDOT.

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RIDOT said that reopening of the existing truck rest area was always envisioned when it sought federal TIGER grant funding for the new Rhode Island Travel Plaza and Transit Hub, to be built off exit 1 on Interstate 95 in Hopkinton. The agency is moving forward with that project, thanks to the awarding of $9 million in funding for the new welcome center.

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