Undeveloped properties owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation may be used as rest areas for truckers to ensure they get the required amount of rest hours.
Starting Monday, truckers driving along Interstate 66 in Warren County will be able to stop at an unused paved lot along the eastbound lanes that was purchased by VDOT decades ago but remains undeveloped.
The lot will be used during a 150-day test and evaluation period under a new pilot program announced by Gov. Bob McDonnell. If successful, additional lots could be used on other interstate highways.
A similar rest stop is already in use on Interstate 64 in Alleghany County.
The lot will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Parking space lines will be drawn, and portable toilets and trash cans will also be installed. The plan does not call for construction of a rest area.
The lots are intended to reduce the number of truckers parking along the side of the road, at interchanges or in parking lots at local businesses, officials said.
