Midwest States Receive $87M for Truck Parking Improvements

Five Midwestern states will receive approximately $87.4 million in federal funding to expand truck parking, rebuild aging rest areas and improve safety along major freight corridors.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded the funding through its Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program's Track 2 commercial motor vehicle parking initiative. Projects in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin are expected to add 477 truck parking spaces, according to USDOT's fiscal year 2026 INFRA award fact sheets.

The nationwide initiative provides $200 million for 14 projects in 12 states. The funding is intended to address a shortage of safe public truck parking that can force drivers to stop on highway shoulders and ramps. USDOT estimates that approximately 40 percent of truck drivers spend more than an hour each day searching for parking.

Minnesota to Build New I-94 Rest Area

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will receive approximately $27.74 million to design and build a new safety rest area near Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County.

The facility will include approximately 63 commercial motor vehicle parking spaces and 60 passenger vehicle spaces, serving both directions of Interstate 94.

The new rest area will replace a nearby facility that closed because of recurring flooding. The project is intended to eliminate a 97.5-mi. truck parking gap along I-94 and provide a refuge during severe winter weather, according to USDOT.

Planned technology includes in-ground magnetometers, gate sensors and camera-based vehicle detection linked to regional 511 systems. The project also will introduce Minnesota's first bidirectional interstate rest area layout, allowing one facility to serve traffic in both directions.

The consolidated design is expected to cost less to build and maintain over time than separate facilities for each direction.

Iowa to Upgrade Six I-80 Rest Areas

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) will receive approximately $24.55 million to expand and modernize truck parking at six public rest areas along I-80.

The project, called Rest I-80: Reliable Expansion of Safe Truck Parking on I-80, will add approximately 150 truck parking spaces at facilities in Mitchellville, Wilton, Victor, Minden and Underwood.

Construction will increase parking capacity, update site layouts and upgrade infrastructure and amenities at the existing facilities, according to USDOT.

The work also will modernize rest area infrastructure dating to the 1960s and improve pavement durability and resilience during severe weather. Camera-based parking monitoring technology will help track demand and provide information to drivers.

An estimated 14,000 trucks travel I-80 through the project corridor each day. The additional capacity is intended to reduce the time drivers spend searching for parking and help them comply with federal hours-of-service requirements.

Illinois to Reconstruct I-57 Rest Areas

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will receive approximately $12.65 million to reconstruct and expand the Green Creek Southbound and Post Oak Southbound rest areas on I-57 in Effingham County.

The project will add approximately 38 truck parking spaces, increasing commercial parking capacity at the two facilities from 34 to approximately 72 spaces.

Work will include new facilities, utility and drainage upgrades, and reconstruction of pavement, circulation roadways and ramps. The existing pavement and infrastructure are approximately 40 years old, according to USDOT.

The project also will add truck parking information management technology, including automated vehicle detection, electronic kiosks and security equipment. The system will provide parking information across 14 facilities.

USDOT estimates the improvements could save drivers 36 to 44 minutes per route by reducing parking searches and delays.

Nebraska to Replace Aging I-80 Rest Areas

The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) will receive approximately $7.46 million to build a new public commercial motor vehicle rest area on I-80 in Dawson County.

The proposed facility will be located between reference posts 247 and 254, with parking areas serving both directions of the interstate. Each direction will have approximately 60 truck spaces, 40 passenger vehicle spaces and four recreational vehicle spaces.

A new service building will include restrooms, vending machines and other traveler amenities, according to USDOT.

The project will replace truck parking capacity lost when four aging rest areas near Cozad and Kearney close as part of NDOT's I-80 modernization program. The new facilities at Elm Creek and Overton are expected to increase net truck parking capacity by approximately 92 spaces.

Consolidating the aging facilities into two modern locations is intended to reduce maintenance costs and avoid a potential 123-mi. gap in truck parking along the corridor.

Wisconsin Expands I-41 Parking Capacity

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will receive $15 million to expand truck parking at two safety rest areas along I-41 in Dodge County.

The project will add approximately 106 commercial motor vehicle parking spaces, increasing capacity at the two facilities from 34 to approximately 140 spaces.

Construction will include an oversized and overweight vehicle staging area, new lighting in parking areas and on entrance and exit ramps, and ramp geometry improvements to meet current design standards. The rest areas also will be upgraded to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additional work will include replacing deteriorated pavement, modernizing rest area buildings and constructing separate maintenance garages, according to USDOT. Planned family-friendly improvements include changing stations.

The project will add in-ground sensors to Wisconsin's 511 truck parking information system to give drivers better information about available spaces.

The I-41 corridor carries an estimated 19 million tons of freight annually. The improvements are intended to support freight movement, reduce roadside parking and improve safety for truck drivers and other motorists.

Federal Investment Targets Freight Safety

The five projects take different approaches to the truck parking shortage, from building a new rest area in Minnesota to modernizing facilities in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin and replacing aging sites in Nebraska.

The projects also will use technology to improve parking availability information, monitor facility use and help drivers find safe places to rest.

USDOT said the national investment is intended to reduce fatigue-related crashes, improve supply chain efficiency and lower freight transportation costs. The INFRA program supports projects designed to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of freight movement.