GATEWAY, Fla. — If you're on a road trip or maybe stuck in heavy traffic, a rest stop can be vital.
But, from Alligator Alley to Tampa, the only rest stop drivers can find in between the two is right off I-75 and Daniels.
"A little aged. It needs some updating," Driver Christie Widners said.
The pay phone and weathered phone book from 2002 across from the men's bathroom at the rest stop proves Widners' point.
She uses this stop every year on her drive to Key West, but she said she would like to see a few upgrades.
"The stall doors don't shut right, and there's no grab bars in there for elderly people. It needs to be fixed up," she added.
See what's in store for the rest stops' future in Gateway Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades' report below:
It's input like that FDOT wants. The department says the expansion will increase truck parking, improve traffic, focus on safety, create better site access and update, reconfigure and demolish or reconstruct the rest area facilities.
Find additional details on the project here.
FDOT designed three alternatives people could see at the rest stop. Each idea decreases the number of regular parking spots and increases where semi-trucks can park.
Travel nurse Carolina Bronson regularly uses rest stops and pointed out a big difference between this rest stop and others.
"It's par for the course. Just a rest stop, but then you have to share it with northbound southbound, so it gets busy," Bronson said.
FDOT needs your feedback for its feasibility study by March 10.
Here's where you can submit your thoughts.
FDOT will have an in-person meeting with project staff for the public to ask questions and share their input on Thursday, February, 27, 2025 between 5 -7 p.m. at Riverside Church, 8660 Daniels Parkway.
