Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

Project development

Engineering process | Planning

Safety Rest Areas

Purpose

Safety Rest Areas (SRAs) provide necessary safety and travel services to motorists as an essential part of the national highway system. MnDOT’s objective is to develop and maintain a coordinated system of attractive, high quality safe stopping opportunities that meet the motoring public’s safety, comfort and travel needs, as well as the needs of the trucking industry. 

When to use this subject

It is important to engage the MnDOT Rest Area Program Manager early in the planning and scoping phase if a project:

  • May directly or indirectly impact an existing SRA, travel information center, wayside, or scenic overlook
  • Involves construction of a new SRA
  • Involves a rehabilitation or reconstruction of an SRA building, site, or pavements
  • Involves an expansion or modification of the SRA truck parking lot
  • Involves permanent closure or abandonment of an SRA
  • Involves turning back a roadway on which the SRA is located
  • Occurs along a roadway adjacent to or within a 0.5 mile of an SRA
    • This threshold only applies when the roadway pavement project serves the same direction of travel as the rest area
    • This threshold excludes roadway shoulder, patching, or maintenance type projects

As a countermeasure to drowsy driving, SRAs contribute to highway safety by providing fatigued drivers the ability to stop and rest. They also promote compliance with federal regulations regarding driving limits for truckers, allowing them opportunities to park and sleep. Their basic service is crash prevention. Studies reveal that a 15 to 20-minute break improves individual performance, even when the driver is sleep-deprived. SRAs serve as a practical way to provide motorists a convenient opportunity to stop, rest, and refresh.

In addition to their primary value regarding accident prevention and the support of commercial freight movements, SRAs also provide convenient time-saving services for travelers. They reduce the need for unsafe stopping on highway shoulders, provide staging for commercial vehicle operators, and serve as venues to promote statewide and regional tourism.

MnDOT designs SRAs to provide safe places for travelers in automobiles, commercial trucks, recreational vehicles, and bicycles (where permitted) to stop for a short time, rest and manage their travel needs. SRAs may include vehicle parking, bicycle parking, picnic tables, children’s play areas, pet exercise areas, trails, overlooks, sanitary facilities, telephones, water, landscaping, tourist information, traveler service information facilities, and vending machines.

How this subject fits into the overall project development process

Involve the Rest Area Program Manager early in the planning and scoping phases. SRA development projects must comply with numerous federal and state laws, codes, regulations, and design criteria; several of which apply solely to these types of facilities. These facilities require the same level of planning, environmental documentation, and public involvement as required for other highway construction projects.

Organizations involved