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Traveler Expectations and Future Use of Highway Rest Areas in the Western United States

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Traveler Expectations and Future Use of Highway Rest Areas in the Western United States Traveler Expectations and Future Use of Highway Rest Areas in the Western United States A Proposal Submitted to the Nevada Department of Transportation Principal Investigator: Timothy J. Gates, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Michigan State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 428 S. Shaw Lane, Room:3573 East Lansing, MI 48824 Phone: (517) 353-7224 [email protected] Co-Principal Investigator: Peter T. Savolainen, Ph.D., P.E. MSU Foundation Professor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Michigan State University 428 S Shaw Ln, Room 3559 East Lansing, MI 48824 Phone: (517) 432-1825 [email protected] PROBLEM DESCRIPTION The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) operates and maintains a total of 35 rest areas, which serve a variety of functions for both the traveling public and drivers of commercial motor vehicles. The public tends to use these rest areas when drivers are fatigued, experience problems with their vehicles, or when an occupant needs to use the restroom. Many of these stops are unplanned, in contrast to commercial vehicle drivers who typically follow a precise, pre-planned route that may include stops at rest areas to meet federal regulation on driving time limits. Ultimately, the decision to use a rest area is dictated by a number of factors, including the availability of alternate facilities along the travel route, such as truck stops/gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and motels. These private facilities provide users with additional services such as gasoline, showers, lodging, and dining options as opposed to publicly maintained rest areas, which generally include only minimal services such as parking, restrooms, and vending machines. Given the rapid development of private facilities since Nevada’s rest areas were first opened, as well as the fact that many rest areas are near the end of their service lives, a critical evaluation is warranted in order to inform both short- and long-term decision-making by NDOT as it relates to its rest area program. Recent research, including several studies by the Michigan State University (MSU) team, has evaluated the economic viability of rest areas and led to the development of policy recommendations for state DOTs. Despite such efforts, additional research is warranted specific to Nevada given existing deficits in truck parking as outlined by the Freight Advisory Committee, as well as the state’s rural nature, unique climatic conditions, and the condition of the existing rest area facilities. This study will address these issues through a data-driven approach, culminating in an implementation plan and decision-support tools that provide important guidance as to NDOT’s role in managing rest areas in consideration of the needs of Nevada highway users. BACKGROUND SUMMARY NDOT currently spends $77,000 to $124,000 per rest area per year in time/materials and contract maintenance. The average age of these facilities is 32 years, which significantly exceeds the typical building design life and has resulted in partial or full closures due to various failures. As such, approximately half of these facilities are currently candidates for replacement. Depending upon the type of facility (i.e., Rest Stop, Rest Area, or Welcome Center), the cost of replacement ranges from $1.5M to $9.9M per location. Furthermore, many of these rest areas are insufficient in terms of their ability to accommodate commercial vehicle parking and persons with disabilities. There are also both gaps and redundancies in the system when considering the spatial distribution of rest areas and alternate private facilities. These issues mirror national trends as economic considerations have led to rest area closures in more than 20 states over the past decade (1-6). Several other states have downgraded the services provided (7) or developed plans to phase out existing facilities (8). Some of these closures have occurred despite organized protests by motorists (9). Perhaps the most widely publicized rest area closures occurred in Virginia, where 19 of 42 rest areas were closed in 2009 (10). These closures were expected to save the state $9 million annually; however, due to strong public opposition, all 19 rest areas were reopened by the newly elected governor (11). Recently, other states have delayed closures in response to similar public backlash (12). These experiences are in sharp contrast to several eastern states, where public-private partnerships have allowed DOTs to turn rest area facilities into revenue generators (5). Various forms of commercialization have been proposed (13-15); however, Nevada is among those states whose rest areas went into operation after the 1956 Interstate Highway Act, which prohibits privatization or outsourcing of rest areas. 1 In light of these limitations, research is warranted to reassess the functional value of rest areas in the state of Nevada. The MSU team aims to evaluate the economic and road user impacts that would be associated with the rehabilitation or reconstruction of existing rest areas, the construction of new rest areas, or the closure of existing facilities. As part of this evaluation, it will be necessary to determine the functional value of rest areas, both individually and as a system. One of the initial primary functions of public rest areas was to alleviate motorist fatigue and associated crashes. NHTSA estimates that 900,000 police-reported crashes result in more than 800 deaths and 33,000 injuries on an annual basis due to drowsy driving (16). However, these figures are likely to underrepresent the true degree of this problem as such crashes are often not easily distinguishable through police crash reports. In any case, rest areas help to reduce the risks of such crashes by providing safe parking areas for tired drivers. The most effective countermeasure to driver sleepiness is to stop driving and take a short nap or use caffeine (17). Prior research has shown a relationship between rest area spacing and fatigue-related crashes. Studies in Michigan (18), Minnesota (19), and California (20) showed increases in single-vehicle crashes, truck- crashes, and other crashes expected to be fatigue-related as rest area spacing increased beyond 20 to 30 miles. Similar trends were observed in a recent study by the MSU team (21-22). It is important to note that the presence of alternate service facilities (e.g., gas stations, truck stops) may also play a role in reducing fatigue-related crashes. Related to this point, in order to assess the value of rest areas, data is needed related to the level of services provided by rest areas and similar service facilities along major NDOT roadways to determine service redundancies and gaps within the rest area system. These data will also be important to determine the ability for rest areas and private service facilities to absorb the additional demand in the event that a nearby rest area is closed or to identify areas where gaps in service suggest a new rest area is justified. In order to make this determination, it is important to understand the reasons why road users select rest areas over comparable service facilities and vice-versa. Prior research has shown more than 95 percent of all drivers had used a rest area and 60 percent preferred rest areas over other similar facilities if the stop did not require gas or food (23). The benefits provided to travelers by rest areas include increased comfort and convenience, decreased travel diversion, reductions in crashes, and improvements to economic development and tourism (23). Research by the MSU team has shown that motorcyclists, drivers of recreational vehicles, vacation travelers, and persons traveling with children had the highest satisfaction levels, while commercial vehicle drivers, younger travelers, and first time rest area users showed lower levels of satisfaction (21,24). The dissatisfaction among truck drivers can be attributable, in part, to significant nighttime truck capacity issues at both rest areas and commercial truck stops. Commercial truck stops frequently exceed nighttime parking capacity and rest areas, similar to those in Nevada, are often insufficiently designed to accommodate large volumes of commercial vehicles. Collectively, the costs and benefits incurred by the traveling public can be estimated to assess the economic viability of individual rest areas or of the rest area system en masse. For example, the MSU team showed that survey respondents indicated a median value of service of $1.68 for standard rest areas and $2.21 for Welcome Center users (21,25). These values were consistent with previous research (23) and, in combination with the cost savings associated with reduced travel times and crash reductions, the Michigan rest area system was shown to deliver an overall benefit/cost ratio of 4.56, though several facilities showed B/C ratios of less than one. A similar evaluation in Nevada would provide timely information as NDOT begins planning in support of the 2021 legislative session. 2 PROPOSED RESEARCH There are two primary objectives that guided the development of the preliminary work plan that has been developed by the MSU team. First, the level of service provided by existing rest areas (including rest stops and welcome centers) will be assessed through a spatial analysis that will also consider the availability of alternate private service facilities (e.g., gas stations and truck stops). This analysis will consider the functional characteristics of these facilities, including the availability of various types of services (e.g., restrooms, parking, Wi-Fi, food, lodging) and the relationship between traffic crashes and facility spacing, as well as data summarizing driver preferences resulting from a statewide survey. Collectively, these qualitative and quantitative data will be used to identify where there are gaps and redundancies in the existing rest area network. This process is expected to lead to the identification of areas where new rest area facilities should be considered or where existing facilities may be phased out.
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