Although Washington, D.C., lawmakers and the U.S. DOT have failed to address the shortage of safe overnight truck parking spaces, the great state of Ohio is taking proactive measures.
“We know that truck parking is in short supply. Given the increases we continue to see in truck traffic, demand continues to climb,” Matt Bruning, press secretary for the central office of Ohio Department of Transportation, reportedly said. “Shortages continue to be concentrated along our major freight corridors like I-70, I-71 and I-75.”
Ohio’s sections of Interstates 70 and 75 are ranked among the most heavily traversed by commercial motor vehicles. An average of 10,500 passenger vehicles travel those routes, compared to 15,000 trucks daily.
According to advocacy organizations such as the American Trucking Associations and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, there are more than 3.5 million drivers on the road and only one parking space for every 11 tractor-trailers. The shortage prompts truckers to park in residential neighborhoods, highway shoulders, and unsafe abandoned lots.
A 2019 Jason’s Law Report from the U.S. DOT revealed that 98 percent of CDL professionals experience difficulty finding safe parking, up from 75 percent in 2015. The recent $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package allotted a meager $37 million to construction projects that add 120 spaces in Florida and 125 in Tennessee.
In Ohio, the state’s DOT has reportedly mapped out an aggressive timeline to cure this ill. With more than 14,200 locations providing 2,700 parking spaces, the transportation department plans to build out 13 weigh stations at a cost of $7.5 million. The work includes laying down pavement and adding signage. Much of the construction will support freight transportation along major arteries.
“At each site, we’re adding about 18 dedicated truck parking spots. Trucks often also use the exit and entrance ramp shoulders for parking, though these are not marked spots. There will be no facilities at these sites. They are just truck parking locations,” Bruning reportedly said. “In addition to this effort, ODOT is undergoing a statewide rest area modernization project. This consists of rebuilding 28 rest areas across the state over the next seven years. Truck parking is being evaluated for each of these sites.”
The Ohio DOT is expected to outfit three weigh stations in 2023 along I-71 in Clinton County, I-75 in Wood County and U.S. Route 23 in Ross County. The state has already completed eight similar projects.
Ohio’s proactive infrastructure investment is the result of a survey released last March. The study identified weigh stations that could cost-effectively be expanded to support growing freight transportation. By contrast, the federal government has invested little despite repeated Jason’s Law reports pointing out the shortage and dangers associated with parking on highway shoulders and unsafe areas.
Sources: ttnews.com, truckinginfo.com, freightwaves.com
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