The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will shutter several rest area locations next week to allow for demolition and construction.
Starting on Thursday, January 11, ODOT will close the rest areas on U.S. 23 in Wyandot County and U.S. 30 in Van Wert County for total rebuilds.
The Wyandot County rest area closures on U.S. 23 are for the northbound rest area located near the village of Carey (mile marker 20.5), and the southbound rest area located near the city of Upper Sandusky (mile marker 17).
The Van Wert County rest areas to be closed are located on U.S. 30 near the village of Convoy (mile marker 8.5).
ODOT says that the rest areas will be closed until 2025.
Officials say that they expect larger numbers of commercial vehicles to park on entrance and exit ramps during the year-long rest area closures.
“We don’t anticipate any issues with the expected increase in trucks parked along ramps, but it is something to be aware of as a passing motorist,” said ODOT District 1 Deputy Director Chris Hughes.
ODOT says that the nearest open rest areas on U.S. 23 will be those just south of the city of Marion, and on U.S. 30, those to the east in Allen County, near State Route 65, north of the city of Lima.
These are not the only rest areas recently shuttered by ODOT. In late November 2023, ODOT closed the rest areas located on I-70 in Belmont County at mile marker 210 (eastbound and westbound) and Muskingum County at mile marker 163 (westbound). These closures will also involve full demolition and reconstruction and are also expected to last about a year.