Free Republic

Motorists will have a little more room to navigate on the Turner Turnpike near Tulsa when a nearly $45 million construction project to widen the highway and make other road improvements is completed. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority approved a contract this week with Sherwood Construction Co. Inc. of Tulsa to fund work on a four-mile stretch of the highway. The project will widen the four-lane turnpike to six lanes beginning near the Creek Turnpike interchange at Sapulpa and extending east nearly to Tulsa. The improvements will be similar to the completed widening of the turnpike to six lanes from four...

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...

Inadequate planning cost taxpayers over $12 million in overruns at I LOVE NY highway rest areas, as per an audit from the office of Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The recently released audit revealed that the state Department of Transportation did a poor job of planning and following up in its construction of rest areas with a tourism focus in each of NYS’s 10 regions. The state’s plan, as touted by Governor Andrew Cuomo, was to build at least 10 Welcome Centers, carrying New York-made products, as a way to advertise the state’s tourism attractions in each of its regions. As reported...

Q: On recent trips to Las Vegas traveling on Interstate 15, Riverside resident Janet Field said she noticed that the rest stops along the interstate were closed in both directions. She wondered why the rest stops are not being used, and said they appear to be in good condition. A: Water and electrical problems are to blame for the closures of rest stops on 1-15 between Riverside and Las Vegas, said Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga. The rest stops outside of Barstow and Baker are just old and need major repairs or rehabilitation work, which is why they are closed. Kasinga...

As early as the end of this year, you might be able to hop into your plug-in electric car and drive to Portland, Ore., or Vancouver, B.C., without worrying about finding a charging station. The state has received federal economic stimulus funds to build four or five charging stations along the I-5 corridor from Canada to Oregon. The $1.32 million would ultimately pay for seven to 10 stations on I-5 and I-90. If all goes as planned, Washington will be the first state to have a series of coordinated electric charging stations spanning its borders, said Tonia Buell, a spokeswoman...

Last fall, Buckeye Firearms Association was pleased to report that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) had ordered all "NO GUNS" signs at state rest stops and visitor centers to be removed. This action was in response to passage and implementation of Senate Bill 184, which included several major fixes to Ohio's concealed handgun licensure (CHL) law, including a change designed to allow patrons of rest stops to use the facilities without having to disarm. The law took effect September 3, but people who carry concealed weapons (CCW) in Ohio continued to report seeing the problematic signs at highway rest...