The Illinois Department of Transportation announced on Mar. 12 the opening of the new Trail of Tears rest area along Interstate 57 near Anna, following nearly five years of construction and a joint effort with the Illinois Capital Development Board. The $15 million project is the first in a series of planned demolitions and rebuilds for rest areas across the state.
The modernization aims to address aging infrastructure and better serve travelers, including commercial drivers who rely on these facilities for safe stops. Rest areas play an important role in highway safety and logistics, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when they provided essential services to truckers delivering critical supplies.
Scott Hall, roadside maintenance manager at IDOT, said public response has been positive so far. “People love it. We’re getting compliments all the time,” Hall said. “Everything is built according to today’s building standards.”
Upgrades at Trail of Tears include brighter lobbies with more natural light, stone facades in neutral colors, connections to municipal water and sewer systems, extra restrooms that remain open during cleaning, ADA-compliant facilities throughout, assisted-use restrooms with adult power lifts and changing tables, new drinking fountains and vending machines, expanded parking—especially for trucks—and enhanced security features such as improved lighting and emergency phones. A combined 35 additional truck parking spots have been added for northbound and southbound traffic.
Hall emphasized the importance of these facilities for truck drivers facing a nationwide parking shortage: “These facilities are vital for the trucking industry… During COVID-19, they played a huge role by offering a place to stop and rest when many businesses and other facilities were closed as commercial motor vehicle drivers delivered food, medical supplies and other critical supplies across the nation.”
Most Illinois rest areas are over 50 years old. In 2020, IDOT launched a study seeking public input on future designs; Trail of Tears was selected as a prototype but each site will reflect local character. The lobby floor at Trail of Tears features artwork depicting the path taken during Native American displacement known as the Trail of Tears.
Looking ahead, construction continues at several sites including Rail Splitter on I-55 north of Springfield (with 32 more truck spaces), Coalfield near Waggoner (adding 85 truck spaces), Farmland near Farmers City (I-74), Fort Massac (I-24), and National Trail (I-70). Hall said timelines depend on funding but upgrades will proceed as resources allow: “It is going to take a while to get them all to where we want them to be… I want to get them where we know all of these are well on their way.”
