The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)is currently at work installing new technology at several rest areas throughout the state to help truckers find safe parking along high volume freight corridors.
Seven Rest Areas To Be Outfitted With Truck Parking Information Tech
The new tech is being installed at seven Minnesota rest areas as part of the Regional Truck Parking Information and Management System (RTIMS). The states participating in the program are Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The cost of the project is approximately $1.4 million.
From MnDOT:
“Minnesota is working with seven other states to implement the Regional Truck Parking Information and Management System that will collect and broadcast real-time parking availability on dynamic message signs. In Minnesota the signs will be posted along the I-35 and I-94 corridors and on MnDOT’s 511 traveler information website. The network will become operational in January 2019 however some states, including Minnesota, could become operational sooner … The technology includes in-pavement sensors that detect the presence of the truck above it and send the information to MnDOT’s Regional Transportation Management Center. The RTMC technology interprets the data and sends the appropriate number of available parking spaces to the dynamic message signs.”
Here are the rest areas that are being outfitted with the new techology:
- Lake Lakota
- Big Spunk Lake
- Enfield
- Elm Creek
- St. Croix
- Heath Creek
- Forest Lake
Project manager Dan Rowe says that the project should make life easier for truckers passing through Minnesota, “Truck drivers sometimes spend 30 minutes or more looking for parking spots. We want to help them find safe, reliable parking so they don’t waste time looking, which decreases their downtime, and so they can move their products faster.”
You can click here to learn more about the project.