PHOENIX, Ariz. — To enhance safety and help empower the economy, electronics signs installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) now tell truckers how many parking spaces are available at Interstate 10 rest areas in western and southeastern Arizona.
Real Time Parking Updates
The real-time information provided through the Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS) helps truckers get the rest they need without having to use places that are not designated for truck parking, according to ADOT.
ADOT installed the $2.8 million system 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.
Monitoring systems track available parking and share that information to electronic signs and third-party sources used by truck drivers. The information also will be added to the Arizona Traveler Information website at az511.gov.
Multi-State Initiative
The Truck Parking Availability System is part of a $13.7 million initiative spearheaded by the I-10 Corridor Coalition. The coalitions includes Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. It was developed to promote safer and more efficient travel for both people and freight. The funding includes a $6.85 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The system provides truck drivers with information on more than 550 parking spots across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
It’s part of a larger ADOT effort to provide more truck parking around the state. The Statewide Truck Implementation Parking Plan has proposed 842 parking spaces that include existing expanded parking at rest areas and three new lots for truck parking. That plan 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 I-10 and State Route 186 west of Willcox.
Expanded Truck Parking
ADOT has expanded truck parking at two rest areas since 2019. The expansion nearly doubled truck parking by adding 56 spaces to the Meteor Crater Rest Area on I-40 between Flagstaff and Winslow. It added 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.
For more information on the Truck Parking Availability System in Arizona, please visit azdot.gov/tpas. To learn more about the I-10 Corridor Coalition, please visit i10connects.com.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
