Governor’s administration wants better highway rest areas

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine and his administration are focusing on improvements to the state’s highway rest areas.

The Republican governor spoke recently about the “sorry” state of Ohio’s rest areas in an address to an Ohio Contractors Association conference in Columbus. The governor has a vision for the state’s rest areas, Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks told Cleveland.com this past week.

“Our rest areas should not just be places where people go take care of biological necessities — they should be really places where we promote all that’s good about Ohio,” Marchbanks said.

That vision includes lodge- or chalet-style buildings, well-lit parking areas and dog parks, along with flat-screen TVs displaying weather conditions and kiosks highlighting great Ohioans such as astronaut Neil Armstrong and other state information, according to Cleveland.com. There are also hopes for speakers pumping out a soundtrack of songs from famous Ohio musicians.

Renovation work that began under DeWine’s predecessor, Republican John Kasich, was completed at three of the state’s 84 rest areas earlier this year. The state has plans to rebuild rest-area structures at four additional locations.

The cost to taxpayers for the work isn’t clear. The three completed rest-area renovations cost a combined $15 million, said Erica Hawkins, an ODOT spokeswoman. Hawkins said cost estimates for the four planned renovations were not yet available.

“It will cost more than just your plain vanilla, you know, ‘toilets in a semi-warm building’ rest area,” Marchbanks said, adding that state officials believe the investment “will make travel safer and more comfortable.”

A working group has been convened to recommend additional rest areas to refurbish.