‘Improve I-70’ truck parking project breaks ground
The Missouri Department of Transportation launched its “Improve I-70: Truck Parking” project Wednesday at the eastbound I-70 rest area in Concordia (MM 57).
Funded through a federal INFRA program grant, the project is all told a $33 million design-build effort that will expand availability of truck parking along the corridor, adding 255 more public truck parking spaces to more than double the total available today at rest areas along the state’s I-70 corridor.
Missouri Trucking Association President and CEO Tom Crawford, on hand for the groundbreaking, lauded the Improve I-70 parking and broader expansion projects, noting MTA was certainly “pleased that we’re doing it without tolls in Missouri.”
That’s not the case to the east along the Overdrive reader-designated worst road in America, I-70 in the state of Indiana. As reported early this year, state plans are hopeful for federal approval to use tolls to reconstruct the road.
[Related: Indiana wants to toll I-70, truckers’ worst road in the nation]
MTA’s Crawford joined Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer, also on hand in Concordia, in flagging the rigidity of the hours of service with electronic recording as contributing to vital importance of truck parking.
“A clock tells a driver when to stop,” Crawford said, “but it doesn’t give them a place to park.”
Spencer praised the improvements as “real pavement,” he said, “the only way to solve a safety crisis that’s been ignored for decades.
“I’ve made more than a few trips to [Missouri capital Jefferson] City over the last decade or two, encouraging officials” to invest in transportation infrastructure of all kinds. “I’m thrilled that they finally have.”
Truck parking improvements will extend to existing rest area locations in Concordia, Boonville, Mineola and Wright City. Construction by contract awardee KCI is scheduled to begin this fall in earnest, and anticipated to be complete in late 2028.
In fiscal year 2024, the Missouri legislature put forward $2.8M in general revenue to build a third lane of I-70 across the entire state. The program will plan, design, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, and add a third lane in each direction on nearly 200 miles of I-70, from Blue Springs to Wentzville. Total program completion is anticipated by the end of 2030.
Find more information on the Improve I-70 Program at this link.
[Related: Will Truck Parking Club ever start accepting fuel points?]
Texas enforcement effort finds 5.5 violations per inspection
A recent commercial vehicle enforcement effort in West Texas resulted in nearly half of vehicles inspected being placed out of service.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s West Texas Division, DPS officers conducted 351 inspections during a recent effort in Mentone. During the blitz, officers identified a total of 1,935 violations for a rate of 5.5 violations per inspection. That’s more than twice the state’s average rate judging by Overdrive‘s past analysis of the metric with sister data company RigDig.
During the West Texas inspections, 167 vehicles (47.5% of the total inspected) were placed out of service, along with 34 drivers.
Among violations identified during the operation, DPS officers found 138 weight violations, 97 registration violations, 57 FMCSR driver violations, 17 hazmat violations, and six oversize violations.
“These inspections help identify unsafe equipment, driver violations, and other conditions that can contribute to crashes and endanger everyone traveling on Texas roadways,” Texas DPS said.
CVSA’s annual Brake Safety Week effort remains ongoing through this Saturday, Aug. 29, nationwide.
FMCSA touts efforts in Massachusetts, Virginia
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration this week announced results of two roadside inspection efforts along the East Coast.
In Virginia, the agency’s Virginia and West Virginia Divisions recently partnered with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Enforcement Division and state police to conduct joint roadside inspections at the Troutville, Virginia, scale facility.
Driver violations included hours-of-service compliance, medical certification and English language proficiency. Vehicle violations that resulted in OOS orders included load securement and tire-related violations.
Additionally, in Massachusetts, FMCSA’s Massachusetts Division partnered with the Massachusetts State Police for a high-visibility operation at the Rowley Weigh Station on I-95 North. During the effort, officers conducted 16 inspections and identified 28 violations.
[Related: Brakes, tires, no medical card among top Roadcheck violations]
