PHOENIX – While crews have been working behind the scenes at the Sunset Point Rest Area along Interstate 17 at milepost 252 since July, the next phase of work will require the rest area to close to the general public on Wednesday, Sept. 28. 

During the closure, commercial truck drivers will be allowed to continue using Sunset Point to park their vehicles and get some rest. Although facilities will be limited, portable restrooms and handwashing stations will be provided for commercial drivers to use. 

A temporary rest area will be available for use by passenger vehicles and non-commercial trucks at the Badger Springs Road exit on I-17 located 4 miles north of Sunset Point. The temporary facility will have parking, portable restrooms and handwashing stations. It will not be able to accommodate commercial vehicles, oversize loads, large RVs and vehicles with trailers. Motorists with those types of vehicles may use Sunset Point, if necessary, but are encouraged to use other nearby private facilities.

The rest area will be located on the east side of I-17 and can be accessed by north- and southbound traffic at Exit 256. Drivers can also use facilities in other areas, including Black Canyon City, which is about 10 miles south of the rest area, and Cordes Junction, which is 10 miles to the north.

The long-planned renovation project is unrelated to the I-17 Improvement Project, which will  expand and improve travel lanes on I-17 south of Sunset Point to Anthem Way. The rest area renovation project will upgrade the water and septic systems as well as the restrooms and vending areas. Truck parking will also be expanded as well as improvements to make the rest area more accessible for people with disabilities.

Other improvements to be made to the Sunset Point Rest Area include renovation of covered ramadas and upgrading sidewalks, lighting and signage. Crews also will work to renovate a sundial memorial honoring ADOT highway workers who have died in the line of duty. 

The $7.5 million project is expected to be completed before the 2023 summer travel season.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/Sunset-Point-Rehabilitation.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is starting a project to renovate and upgrade facilities at the Sunset Point Rest Area along Interstate 17 at milepost 252 north of Phoenix. 

The project will upgrade the water and septic systems as well as the restrooms and vending areas. An improved, renovated rest area with reconstructed bathrooms, sewers and waterline facilities will be in place by next spring. Truck parking will also be expanded as well as improvements to make the rest area more accessible for people with disabilities.

Project work for the Sunset Point Rest Area will start Monday, July 11. This initial work will not impact the traveling public until after the busy summer season. The next phase of work will require the rest area be closed to non-commercial traffic after Labor Day.

Other improvements to be made to the Sunset Point Rest Area include renovation of covered ramadas and upgrading sidewalks, lighting and signage. Crews also will work to renovate a sundial memorial honoring ADOT highway workers who have died in the line of duty. 

The $7.5 million project is expected to be completed by the summer travel season in 2023.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/Sunset-Point-Rehabilitation.

PHOENIX – The Bouse Wash Rest Area on Interstate 10 in western Arizona has reopened following a year-long renovation project.

Improvements by the Arizona Department of Transportation include upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, replacing restroom fixtures and expanding the parking lot. Also, renovations improved and modernized ramadas, water and wastewater systems, vending buildings and other equipment.

The renovations took place on the eastbound and westbound rest areas, which are west of Tonopah at milepost 53.

The improvements are the latest ADOT has made in recent years to repair and replace infrastructure that has been in place for as long as 50 years.

Motorists may use this link to find a map of all ADOT rest areas.

PHOENIX – With many traveling to see family and friends this holiday season, plus the potential for snow up north attracting day-trippers, the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to remind drivers not to drive distracted.

If you’re traveling alone, drivers are urged to use phones to call or text at one of the state’s 15 rest areas. Once in a rest area, you can safely devote your attention to your device to make a call or send or respond to texts.

“Distracted driving is dangerous. We’ve all seen stories where tragedy strikes because a driver glanced at a text,” said State Engineer Dallas Hammit. “Paying attention when you are driving will help everyone get safely home this holiday season.”

In 2020 in Arizona, more than 8,000 drivers involved in crashes were engaged in distracted driving behavior. But the real number is much higher because traffic safety stakeholders say many drivers don’t admit to being distracted or died in the crash.

The use of hand-held mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, while driving is banned in Arizona. On all Arizona roadways, it is illegal for drivers to talk or text on a device that isn’t engaged in hands-free mode.

To get more resources about distracted driving and see ADOT’s Emmy Award-winning distracted driving campaign, visit azdot.gov/terrify.

PHOENIX – The restrooms at the Texas Canyon Rest Area on Interstate 10 at milepost 320 have reopened after crews made an emergency repair to the water line, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The rest area’s other facilities such as parking, pet areas and ramadas remained open while repairs were made.

The rest area is located 70 miles east of Tucson. 

For more rest area locations, visit azdot.gov/restareas.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has expanded a renovation project at the Interstate 40 Meteor Crater Rest Area in northern Arizona to nearly double the parking spaces available for commercial vehicles. 

With 65 truck parking spaces currently available at the rest area between Flagstaff and Winslow, ADOT is adding 32 spaces to the westbound facility and 24 spaces to the eastbound facility. This $5.2 million improvement was added to a current project renovating both the Meteor Crater Rest Area and the Painted Cliffs Rest Area along I-40 near New Mexico.

A similar project recently completed at the I-40 Haviland Rest Area in northwestern Arizona has added 38 truck parking spaces to the seven already available in each direction. That facility is west of Kingman between mileposts 22 and 23.

“Adding nearly 100 truck parking spaces along the busy I-40 corridor will promote safety by helping long-haul truckers who log long hours to get goods where people need them,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “They can pull into these rest areas with more confidence there will be spaces for them.”

There are 468 total commercial vehicle parking spaces at the state’s 27 rest area facilities. In addition, ADOT has temporarily reopened the Interstate 17 Christensen Rest Area south of Flagstaff and the Interstate 40 Parks Rest Area exclusively for commercial vehicles, adding 44 truck parking spaces during the current public health situation.

Drivers can see how many total truck parking spaces are at each rest area location by visiting ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information 511 website at az511.gov, checking the rest area icon box in the map legend and then clicking on the map’s rest area markers.

PHOENIX – Truck drivers looking for places to rest can now find the total number of truck parking spaces at any of Arizona’s rest areas on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Arizona Traveler Information 511 website.

This new feature at az511.gov allows commercial vehicle drivers to see how many total spaces are available at each rest area on their routes. Click on the ‘Map Legend’ box on the right-hand side of the screen and check the box next to ‘Rest Areas’ to bring up the rest areas on the map. Clicking on a rest area location will show details including the total number of truck spaces.

There currently are 430 total truck parking spaces at the state’s 27 rest area facilities.

“Providing opportunities for long-haul truckers to rest is important in keeping commerce flowing in Arizona,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “During this unprecedented time, truckers have been key to keeping grocery stores stocked and medical facilities supplied. Facilitating these safe locations for rest is key to ADOT’s mission.”

And more is on the horizon: Last year, Arizona and three other states that are part of the I-10 Corridor Coalition, California, New Mexico and Texas, received a federal grant to fund development of a program that will alert commercial truck drivers to available truck parking at Interstate 10 rest areas. 

During fiscal year 2019, nearly 7.5 million commercial trucks entered Arizona.

In addition to the hundreds of truck parking spaces available at rest areas, ADOT temporarily reopened two long-shuttered northern Arizona rest areas, Parks on Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff and Christensen on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff, to provide 44 additional parking spaces during the current public health situation. 

Meanwhile, there are projects underway at two I-40 rest areas, Haviland and Meteor Crater, to expand truck parking spaces by 38 at Haviland and 60 at Meteor Crater. The project at Haviland was deemed an emergency due to the current public health situation. The expansion at Meteor Crater was added to an existing project to renovate the rest area. Both truck parking expansion projects are scheduled to wrap up this summer.

Nearly 1.5 million users have accessed az511.gov since the redesigned website launched in March 2019. November and December saw the most users, with more than 450,000 visiting the site. For more information, please visit az511.gov and azdot.gov.