On Monday, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) announced the launch of a real-time system to inform truckers about truck parking availability at I-10 rest areas in the western and southeastern parts of the state.
According to a January 27 announcement from ADOT, the Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS) was installed at the eastbound and westbound Ehrenberg and Bouse Wash rest areas between the Valley and California and at the Texas Canyon and San Simon rest areas serving both directions of I-10 in southeastern Arizona.
The $2.8 million system uses monitoring systems to track available parking and share that information to electronic signs and third-party sources used by truck drivers. Officials say that TPAS “helps truckers get the rest they need without having to use places that aren’t designated for truck parking.”
The truck parking availability information will also be added to the az511.gov website.
The new TPAS is part of a larger effort to expand truck parking availability in Arizona. ADOT’s Statewide Truck Implementation Parking Plan, which includes $32 million in funding to add 370 spaces at I-10 Burnt Wells Rest Area near Tonopah, I-40 Meteor Crater Rest Area near Winslow and a new at lot I-10 and State Route 186 west of Willcox.
In recent years, ADOT has added 56 spaces to the Meteor Crater Rest Area on I-40 between Flagstaff and Winslow, along with adding 38 new spaces to the Haviland Rest area on I-40 west of Kingman.
“According to a poll conducted in 2020 by the I-10 Corridor Coalition, 78% of truck drivers spend more than 30 minutes seeking safe parking. The lack of safe parking often leads to many drivers parking on shoulders, ramps or other undesignated areas, said ADOT.