USDOT announces nearly $300 million in funding to build hundreds of truck parking spaces in multiple states
This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that millions of dollars of grant funding has been awarded to fund the building of hundreds of truck parking spaces in multiple states.
On January 25, 2024, USDOT announced $292 million in federal funding for truck parking projects in several states as part of discretionary grant programs.
See a rundown of the planned truck parking projects below:
- $180 million for the Florida DOT to build over 900 trucking parking spaces along I-4 in Central Florida along four sites in Volusia, Seminole, and Osceola Counties.
- $40 million for a project at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, which will include the creation of a safe truck parking area as an alternative to the current practice of parking off-site in unauthorized locations nearby.
- $8 million for Wisconsin DOT to reconstruct a Safety Rest Area along I-90 in Sparta, Wisconsin. This will expand the number of spots from 16 to 70 (a 430% increase).
- $12 million for Washington State DOT to deploy a regional truck parking information management system at 54 truck parking facilities along the I-5 corridor in WA, OR, and CA to connect truck drivers with available parking.
- $92 million for the Missouri DOT to improve I-70, which includes new truck parking facilities and truck parking information systems.
The nearly $300 million in truck parking funding comes in addition to the $80 million in federal grant funding announced in September 2023.
Trucking trade group OOIDA praised the USDOT for earmarking funds for much-needed truck parking.
“As a truck driver, I can tell you firsthand that when truckers don’t have a safe place to park, we are put in a no-win situation. We must either continue to drive while fatigued or out of legal driving time, or park in an undesignated and unsafe location like the side of the road or abandoned lot. It forces truck drivers to make a choice between safety and following federal Hours-of-Service rules. OOIDA and the 150,000 small business truckers we represent thank the Department for its increased focus on resolving an issue that has plagued our industry for decades,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA President