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In 1973, a planned extension to Interstate 94 between I-694/494 and the St. Croix River was cancelled due to concerns raised by residents. This study is part of a restudy that was ordered by the Commissioner of Highways to find the best route for the freeway, taking in to account the resident's concerns. This report focuses on the locations of the proposed rest stops, information centers, and weigh areas.

Previous research sponsored by the Minnesota DOT (Mn/DOT) documented the state of truck parking issues throughout Minnesota. The study specifically examined the supply and demand of public and private commercial vehicle parking along Minnesota's three primary Interstate corridors: I-35, I-90, and I-94. Results of the study were published in January 2008. This report revealed some critical parking capacity issues at many of the state's rest area facilities and concluded that further research would be necessary to identify potential remedies to improve truck parking into the future. Mn/DOT funded this second phase with the objective of determining opportunities for expanding truck parking where needed across Minnesota. Existing research suggests that although interstate and intercity truck parking may be very limited and marginally expanding existing congested facilities would be useful, parking in urban core areas was overwhelmingly identified as the key truck parking problem in Minnesota. Therefore, Phase 2 looked at parking both in the Twin Cities and in greater Minnesota.

More than 15 percent of the traveling public stops at Travel Information Centers throughout the state, and recent studies project continued growth in that number. By providing information centers at most of our Class I Rest Areas, state agencies could reach more than two million customers. Increased collaboration among state agencies can help in effectively and efficiently meeting this growing need. In May 1993, representatives of the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) met to identify such opportunities for collaboration. As a result, the two agencies, with funding from the Breakthrough Innovations Program, guided the development of a touch screen information system that supplies a variety of information, including major attractions, state parks and forests, outdoor activities, calendar of events, accommodations and camping, road information, weather, mapping, and safety and regional services. Three units, known as Travel Partners kiosks, began operating on a test basis in 1994. The project improved the delivery of information to customers, and also opened the door to future collaborations. The report details the project's history, results, and future efforts.

A cultural resources study of historic roadside development properties was conducted in 1996-1998 by Gemini Research for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). The study's goal was to inventory all roadside development properties on current Mn/DOT right-of-way that contain pre-1961 standing structures and to evaluate the National Register eligibility of the sites. A total of 102 properties were inventoried. Eleven of the properties are listed on the National Register or located within a National Register historic district. The study recommends that 51 individual properties and 1 historic district containing 7 properties meet the registration requirements of the historic context entitled "Roadside Development on Minnesota Trunk Highways, 1920-1960" and are therefore eligible for the National Register under this context. A set of 102 inventory files and this final report are included among the study's final products.

Note: Some corrections/changes have been made in this supplement (November 1, 2006; August 26, 2008). In 2002-2004 the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), working through its consultant Gemini Research, conducted a cultural resources survey and evaluation of eight properties to be added to Mn/DOT's Historic Roadside Development Structures Inventory. The addition of the eight brings the total inventory to 110 properties. Gemini Research recommends that three of the eight newly-inventoried properties are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. This document, intended as a supplement to the 1998 inventory report Historic Roadside Development Structures on Minnesota Trunk Highways, adds the eight new properties to the inventory, updates key inventory information, and corrects selected errors in the original inventory. The updated information lists, for example, the historic preservation treatment reports that Mn/DOT has prepared for National Register-eligible and -listed sites. The report also briefly discusses serious threats facing the inventory sites including their deteriorating physical condition.

This project funded the manufacture and installation of 36 advance rest area signs along Interstate 35 (I-35), I-94 and State Highway 371, most of which included three-line listings of amenities at the rest area. The summary publication describes a customer service feedback survey. Among respondents, 33 percent indicated they had seen the signs, and another 29 percent indicated they were not sure if they had. Of these respondent groups, 61 percent described the advance signage as useful. The survey did not determine which listed amenities proved attractive or compelling to rest area users, but survey questions have been revised and the project team continues to gather responses.

This Implementation Summary pertains to the 2018 research project “Safety Rest Area Advance Signing Enhancements Phase 2 Design.” The project included a customer service feedback survey, a summary of which is available in 2019-15A, Rest Area Sign Analysis.

The purpose of this statewide non-interstate rest area development program is to comprehensive identify long term rest area requirements and to commit department resources and funding towards the timely completion of the program.

The task force conducted research to determine the optimum size, configuration, cost, and placement of rest area recycle containers; effective signs; possible funding sources; partnership possibilities with counties and the private sector; the best ways to sort and haul recycled material; the feasibility of recycling at all rest areas versus at Class I rest areas only; and a myriad of other particulars in order to develop a complete set of recommendations with a detailed implementation plan. The task force surveyed recycling efforts of other state DOTs, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Vermont, Washington, Oregon, and North Carolina to discover their experiences with recycling materials collected at rest areas.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) operates a network of 55 full-service safety rest areas along the Interstate and high-volume non-interstate highways. Since 1969, Mn/DOT has conducted Motorist Usage Surveys at safety rest areas throughout the state. This data has provided the basis for determining the size of buildings and parking lots and has also been used to document facility use and identify services that the public desires to have available at safety rest areas. To supplement this information and to improve the level of understanding of safety rest area users as well as non-users, the Site Development Unit, Office of Technical Support with assistance from the Market Research Unit, conducted several market research studies during 1997 and 1998. Each of these studies were designed to expand Mn/DOT s understanding of a specific market segment in order to improve the delivery of safety rest area services.