Arkansas Provides 84 Truck Parking Spots on I-40

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Amid the fixed roar of Interstate 40 visitors, Arkansas state leaders celebrated opening a long-awaited business truck car parking zone in West Memphis, including 84 much-needed areas.

“Let’s lower a ribbon and let’s let the vans begin rolling in,” Lorie Tudor, director of the Arkansas Division of Transportation, not too long ago instructed Arkansas Trucking Affiliation executives, state Sen. Reginald Murdock (D), state Freeway Fee Chairman Alec Farmer and others gathered beneath a white tent.

Murdock, who labored up to now for ARDOT, thanked everybody for his or her contributions to the undertaking’s opening. “What makes desires come collectively is teamwork, and that is what you see the results of right here as we speak.”

ATA President Shannon Newton, granted the distinction of commanding scissors on the occasion, instructed everybody the ceremony marked a decade of labor from the Arkansas trucking business.

The car parking zone growth west of mile marker 275 was paid for with a grant from the Arkansas Industrial Trucking Security and Training Program permitted by the state Legislature in the course of the 89th Normal Meeting in 2013.

“Whereas a car parking zone could not seem to be an thrilling enhancement to our state’s freeway system, that is important infrastructure not just for our business but additionally for our Arkansas communities that depend on these vans,” Newton famous.

Pointing to the concrete facility that took $6 million to remodel it from a vacationer info middle (rebuilt elsewhere), she stated she needs folks to comprehend “that is their break room” for the truck drivers who’re “the spine of our financial system and, throughout lengthy hours and difficult situations, make sure the well timed supply of products.”

There are 3.5 million truck drivers within the US and solely 313,000 parking areas.
Arkansas Trucking Affiliation President, and Good Roads Board Member, Shannon Newton, devoted this week an ARDOT-owned 84 place business truck park in West Memphis to assist handle the price of pr … pic.twitter.com/TD8PhN0Ohb

— AR Good Roads (@ARGoodRoads) June 1, 2023

Farmer known as consideration to the 7 acres of concrete the place he stood, and described the way it will present a secure resting space that additionally helps the U.S. provide chain.

“Over 40,000 automobiles go this website daily, and over 50%, and generally near 60%, are business vans,” he added.

The best truck volumes in Arkansas are alongside the I-40, I-30 and I-55 freight corridors, the 494-page Arkansas State Freight Plan 2022 famous. It recognized truck parking and investing in truck parking notifications programs to enhance the usage of present amenities as key intermodal freight wants.

Certainly one of ARDOT’s objectives is to assist growth of secure and safe truck parking amenities, Tudor defined, including “I can inform you how proud I’m of this second after we’re one step nearer to that objective.”

ARDOT’s newest truck parking survey revealed 20 of the state’s 26 public truck parking areas had been over capability as had been 133 of the 283 personal parking areas.

Tudor stated the West Memphis truck parking website could have a second section so as to add restrooms and construct a police substation, beginning by the top of June, in a $1 million undertaking.

“To have that presence of Arkansas Freeway Police right here will add safety and security to our truckers,” Tudor stated. “I can’t adequately specific how necessary this parking growth is right here on Interstate 40 or how a lot it’s wanted for our truckers as they journey via Arkansas.”

I-40 is ranked as the best truck quantity hall in Arkansas because it connects the state to a regional freight hub in Memphis, Tenn. Vans touring alongside the route have “comparatively excessive cargo values per truck,” in accordance with ARDOT.

In 2019, vans transported virtually 360 million tons of freight price greater than $770 billion on Arkansas’ roadways. By 2050, ARDOT tasks these quantity to mushroom to 600 million tons price over $1.5 trillion.

ARDOT’s want record recognized the doable creation of a business truck parking facility on I-30 as necessary to bettering roadway and driver security whereas decreasing unauthorized parking. The undertaking, if funded, had a $25 million estimated price ticket to create 50 parking areas. The positioning could be in Rockport (at Exit 99 and U.S Freeway 270), about 40 miles southwest from Little Rock.

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