Pennsylvania Reopens Turnpike Rest Areas for Truckers

Breitbart ^ | 03/23/20 | Joshua Caplan

[Enlightened1]

Pennsylvania officials reopened over a dozen rest areas on a Thursday, heeding to calls from truckers who are working tirelessly to keep the country’s supply chains open amid the ongoing spread of the deadly Chinese coronavirus.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reopened 13 of its 30 rest stops on a limited basis on the interstates and throughout the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

“They are located on Interstate 81, north and southbound stops in Luzerne and Cumberland counties; on Interstate 79, north and southbound stops in Crawford County and the northbound stop in Allegheny County; and on Interstate 80, east and westbound stops in Venango, Centre and Montour counties,” notes the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell said in a statement that the sites will have five portable toilets, though the services plazas will remain closed due to a lack of cleaning staff.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission reopened all 17 of its service plazas at 7 a.m. Friday, though on a limited basis.

Turnpike spokeswoman Rosanne Placey said it had closed down the plazas to give 7-Eleven and HMS Host an opportunity to prepare plans on how to keep the facilities clean while maintaining standard service.

“We realize how vital [truckers’] service is so we’re happy we can reopen even on a limited basis,” said Placey. “Even with this change, the food service will be open on a limited basis. We can’t have a lot of people there and they can’t eat inside.”

The development comes after one of the country’s largest trucking trade organizations criticized the closings, saying the stops are critical to drivers for, especially during the pandemic.

“We understand this decision was likely made in an effort to limit passenger vehicle movement, interaction among travelers, and the state’s administration and supervision