rest area statement

Rest Area Rest areas are to be provided on Interstate highways as a safety measure. Safety rest areas are off-road spaces with provisions for emergency stopping and resting by motorists for short periods. They have freeway type entrances and exit connections, parking areas, benches and tables and may have toilets and water supply where proper maintenance and supervision are assured. They may be designed for short-time picnic use in addition to parking of vehicles for short periods. ~ A Policy on Safety Rest Areas for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, 1958 Like a draftsman’s line across the page, highways and interstates paint sweeping arcs and pin-straight lines across the landscape. Multiple midpoints exist on these lines as rest areas, travel plazas, picnic areas, pit stops, or welcome centers. These places are fascinating for many reasons including their banality, their need, their glamour or dinginess, their desire to please and their cold utility. Highways sterilize our experience of the landscape and the rest area makes it possible to travel across the United States without ever visiting a small town. On a base level they all share the same goal, but they vary in size and amenities. There are monumental welcome centers that have themes, state propaganda, “History Happened Here” displays, and rows and rows of sunglasses for sale. Others are simply pull-offs with nothing more than a trashcan and a picnic bench. Toll road travel plazas are the most isolated and uniform, catering to their captive audiences with McDonalds hamburgers and Starbucks coffee. Yet, beauty exists here. Gardens are tended, views are contemplated, and pets are given their own places of refuge. Even with the constant drone of traffic, these are areas of comfort and serenity. There is a structure and plan that makes sense; we breathe and our weary bodies relax a little bit. Physically, culturally, and emotionally these places work for us. We need them.