The State Highway Administration has opened 39 new truck parking spaces at the Interstate 95 South rest area and welcome center in Howard County, signaling the completion of the project, the organization announced Thursday.
The project was funded by a $5.5 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration, and will increase the number of available truck parking spaces from 21 to 60.
According to a news release, the project was done to reduce illegal and unsafe parking at the site, which included truck parking on shoulders and ramps.
"This expansion improves safety by providing additional spaces for truck drivers who have reached their hours-of-service limit or are staging for deliveries, preventing them from parking along the shoulders and ramps of southbound I-95," SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters said.
The new space opened Dec. 20.
The project also included upgrading lighting at the rest stop.