Economic Assessment of Public Rest Areas and Traveler Information Centers on Limited-Access Freeways

Public rest areas along limited-access freeways throughout the United States allow quick access and free 24-h availability to basic amenities such as parking and restrooms. The recent economic downturn has made it increasingly difficult for state agencies to maintain rest areas and has forced many states to consider downsizing services or closing facilities. Although rest areas provide many benefits to motorists, the safety and economic impacts associated with rest areas and traveler information centers have proved difficult to quantify. A benefit-cost (B-C) analysis methodology was developed for public rest areas and traveler information centers on limited-access freeways. This methodology considered a broad range of benefits associated with public rest areas, including travel diversion savings, comfort and convenience benefits, and crash reductions. Increased tourism spending was also considered for traveler information centers. The costs were almost exclusively related to those incurred by the agency, which included construction, rehabilitation, operation, and routine maintenance. The methodology was demonstrated with data provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation. Because the estimated benefits were strongly correlated with annual use of the facility, the facilities with the highest B-C ratios included heavily used facilities located on the primary freeway routes. Those with the lowest B-C ratios were underused facilities with high operation or maintenance costs.