Virginia sets meeting on new trucker rest area

The Virginia Department of Transportation will provide an informational meeting Aug. 31 on a trucker rest area to be built near Markham on Interstate 66.

VDOT will break ground this fall on the project, which will provide 30 truck parking spaces on the westbound side of I-66. Contractors will install and maintain portable restrooms and handle trash pickup and grounds maintenance. Plans include building an 8-foot-tall privacy fence around the perimeter and installing LED lights facing downward to reduce glare.

The agency anticipates the new area will cost $700,000 to build and an annual $80,000 to maintain.

Last year, the agency received results of a study commissioned on truck parking needs along 14 major state corridors. That indicated 542 parking spaces were needed on I-66 to handle the volume of trucks destined for the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal and other locations.

The meeting will be 6 to 8 p.m. at the Marshall Community Center, located at 4133A Rectortown Road in Marshall. Questions or comments also may be directed to Operating Engineer Ben Davison via email to [email protected] or by letter to Ben Davison, Engineer of Operations, VDOT Warrenton Residency, 457 East Shirley Avenue, Warrenton, VA 20186.

Project information is located at this link.