CT To Restore Round-The-Clock Highway Rest Areas

HARTFORD, CT — All seven state-operated highway rest areas, including indoor restrooms, will now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, beginning on July 1, according to a statement from Gov. Ned Lamont. Funding to return the rest areas to round-the-clock operations was included in the budget the governor signed into law earlier this week.

Staffing levels at the facilities had been reduced on 2016 in response to budget cuts, limiting the seven locations to a one-shift, daytime operation.

While the rest areas technically remained "open" around the clock, the indoor facilities were closed to the public for the remaining two evening and overnight shifts, necessitating the sole use of outdoor portable restroom facilities during hours during un-staffed hours, according to the statement.

"While certainly well intentioned, I believe the move to shut our state's rest areas was penny wise and pound foolish," Lamont said. "We have to make the necessary investments to attract people to visit and return to our state. This is a small but meaningful step toward making Connecticut more attractive to visitors and our residents alike."

The state’s seven rest areas include four on I-84, two on I-91, and one on I-95, and are maintained by the state Department of Transportation.

They are part of a statewide network of facilities, which also include 23 service plazas that are located on interstate highways and the Merritt Parkway and offer parking, food, rest and relief, as well as other amenities.

The seven rest areas are in the following locations:

· I-84 Danbury EB past Exit 2
· I-84 Southington EB past Exit 28
· I-84 Willington EB past Exit 69
· I-84 Willington WB past Exit 70
· I-91 Wallingford SB past Exit 15
· I-91 Middletown NB past Exit 19
· I-95 North Stonington SB past Exit 93