Indiana Revamps Welcome Center

We at TopMark Funding love to hear about news regarding more truck parking spots, and that is just what has happened over in the Hoosier state.

Details

The Kankakee Welcome Center, located about 50 miles south of Gary, reopened on October 24th after construction. The entire revamp cost $40 million in federal grant money, and with it has brought:

• 225 additional truck parking spaces (it initially had 40 spots before the revamp).
  • The parking spots are split 75 on the northbound side and 150 on the southbound side of I-65.
• Restrooms within a stone’s throw of the truck parking spaces, as opposed to the only restrooms being located on the opposite ends of the sites.
• Dog park.
• Walking trail.
• Interactive exhibits.

“Indiana lives up to our destination as the Crossroads of America through our top-rated infrastructure and our commitment to getting Hoosiers and visitors to where they need to go,” Governor Eric Holcomb said in a statement regarding the reopening. “Visitors passing through on I-65 will have a clean, safe and interactive experience.”

Indiana plans to use its federal funding to provide 80% more public truck parking spaces, which will bring the state to around 2,525.

Conclusion

With estimates of eleven truckers for every truck parking spot in the United States, the nation still has quite the uphill battle to travel upon in order to get the necessary parking it needs. If every space were used optimally at eight hours for sleeping, the ratio would have to be 3:1, and would no doubt actually have to be lower due to various nuances such as the time to enter and exit a parking spot, people potentially taking longer than eight-hour breaks, etc. It will certainly be a long time before there is enough truck parking to suit the entire economy, but these 225 additional parking spaces will no doubt help.

Currently, the Indiana Department of Transportation operates 28 different rest areas and welcome centers, but with the additional federal grant money, the number has the potential to increase in upcoming years, especially to meet its target of 2,525 public parking spaces for big rigs.

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