Indiana transportation officials say that they will save millions of dollars by shutting down a busy rest stop in the near future.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) says that they’ll be shutting down the Nancy Hanks Rest Area off of I-64 near Dale.
Though there is currently no set date for the shutdown, INDOT warns that both the eastbound and westbound facilities will close in the near future, according to a report from Tristate Homepage.
INDOT says that cost is the major reason for the rest stop closure. “To keep these facilities up and running, you’re looking at a significant investment of probably a million dollars per facility. So for the two facilities there, two million dollars. That includes annual operating costs, all the maintenance we have to do, contractors and things like that,” said INDOT’s Jason Tiller.
Crime is also a reported factor in INDOT’s decision to close the rest stop.
Though the rest stop is not an overnight facility, its closure is cause for concern for many members of the trucking community.
Indiana Motor Truck Association’s president Gary Langston said of the closure, “Indiana already has a truck parking shortage, so any reduction in capacity is a concern. I’ve been told that the resources that are currently used to support those three locations will be reinvested to build new facilities. I look forward to seeing that plan.”
INDOT currently operates 19 rest stop locations that provide truckers with 1,444 semi-truck parking spaces statewide.