PIQUA — Two rest areas in Miami County will close beginning Friday as part of a plan for Ohio to remodel 33 such facilities by 2026.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, drivers at one of the rest areas near Piqua worried about problems that could result from the closing of a pretty busy rest area.
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The statewide project to refresh and re-imagine the 33 rest areas has entered its second phase.
Thursday, a day before the two facilities off I-75 near Piqua in Miami County will be closed until construction is scheduled to be completed in 2025, travelers at one of the sites talked about how the closure, expected to last more than a year, would affect them.
One, a former truck driver named Terry, said, “You show up to your rest area, it’s closed down. Now you’re looking at being- running illegally off the clock. You’re risking your CDL [commercial driver’s license], risking your employment. And then on top of that, you gotta find another safe spot to park.”
Even though he stepped away from trucking a few years ago, Terry said he still has empathy for those on the road.
“A lot of times, they’ll just line up the ramps. And then that causes hazards not only for the truck drivers who are trying to sleep on the side of the road but it causes hazards for the passersby as they’re traveling through our state.”
News Center 7 checked and found that the closest rest area to the Piqua location is more than 50 miles to the south, in Butler County.
If you head north on I-75, the closest is just less than 50 miles away.
“When we first seen that it was going to close, you know, the first thing I said was ‘What about the truck drivers?’ said Katy Laimer, traveling from Sidney.
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