I94



Prairie Public

 

 

Rest Areas

Roadside rest areas became an important accommodation for travelers along the newly constructed Interstate 94 in the year 1959. The design and construction of the roadside rest areas along the route were meant to be convenient for the traveler with picnic tables under shelters, toilet facilities, trees and shrubbery for shade and large lots in which traffic could easily move on and off the interstate routes.

A rest area on the north side of the interstate to the west of Valley City was one of the first to be constructed in 1959. Plans were made to include rest areas on both sides of the interstate between West Fargo and Valley City, three miles west of Jamestown and another near Crystal Springs. Another rest area was created on Highway 10 about 8 miles east of Dickinson where it was built in the natural growth of trees along the Green River.Plans were also made to build a rest area near Medora by 1960.

By the early 1960s, there were twelve completed rest areas on I-94 and Old Highway 10. Two more rest areas were under construction between Mandan and Dickinson at this time. The early rest areas were much different than the visitor centers we have throughout the state today. Sparse by today’s standards, they offered toilets and picnic areas for the convenience of the traveler. Facilities beyond the basic necessities were not available. However, visitors to the state appreciated their cleanliness and convenience as recorded by a letter sent to the ND Highway Department from the Christinsen family of Los Angeles, CA in the 1960s:


While visiting in North Dakota as a tourist from California we have been impressed by your wonderful state highways, but your rest areas are the best in the West. Having traveled the entire western area of this U.S., none of the rest areas can even come close to yours in neatness, and cleanliness and we certainly appreciate that. 

These rest areas were built by the State Highway Department and today are under the maintenance of the North Dakota Department of Transportation. The rest areas were rebuilt and improved starting in the late 1980s. The first rest area to be rebuilt was the rest stop at Crystal Springs with construction that began in 1988. The rest areas along the route ranged in age from seven years to twenty -seven years. There were three critical factors used to prioritize the improvement of the rest areas:

Today there are 32 visitor centers and rest areas throughout the state; thirteen of which are located on Interstate 94 between Beach and Fargo. Conveniently located, they offer a place to take a rest from travel, use the rest room facilities and allow children and pets to run around. The North Dakota Department of Transportation has categorized the rest areas into three types.

Visitor Centers, located on Interstate 94, are often decorated in themes with importance to historical information surrounding the location. These travel rest stops are located in the right of way or adjacent to the right of way on the interstate and provide clean restrooms, information kiosks, picnic shelters, pay phones and vending machines. To assist travelers in finding destinations within North Dakota, the North Dakota Department of Tourism maintains brochure racks in most rest areas.

Rest Areas are located in the right of way or adjacent to the right of way on the interstate and other state highways. These rest areas provide many of the same accommodations as the visitor centers across the state. Free restrooms, pay phones, and vending machines are available for the general public. Both visitor centers and rest areas throughout the state are designed with public safety in mind. Areas to walk off fatigue have been created as well as well lighted buildings and parking lots.

Truck Parking Sites are mainly for truckers and offer a place for truck drivers to park and rest during the long journey across the state. The truck parking sites provide chemical restrooms with very limited services.

North Dakota visitor centers and rest areas have been updated to keep up with technology and the demand of tourism. One of the new accommodations created by the North Dakota Department of Transportation are electric kiosks connected to the Internet. Visitors can find tourist information, weather and road condition reports, and access the internet. The kiosks are located at the Beach visitor center, Hailstone Creek visitor center located 8-9 miles west of New Salem, Apple Creek visitor center located 8 miles east of Bismarck, Jamestown visitor center located 4 miles west of Jamestown and the Oriska visitor center located 2 miles east of Oriska. The use of the kiosks is free of charge.

North Dakota Department of Transportation Visitor Centers and Rest Areas can be found at the following locations along Interstate 94: