Safety rest areas

Safety rest areas

Located on the Interstate highway system and other major four-lane highways and are open year round. Wisconsin has 28 safety rest areas, with amenities such as:

Clean restroom facilities
Car and truck parking
Drinking water
Handicap accessibility
Picnic areas
Road maps and other traveler information
Weather information at most locations
Places to walk your pet
Snacks and drinks from the vending services at most locations
Recycling areas
Wisconsin Historical Marker plaques commemorating historical facts and events

Waysides

Wisconsin has waysides which are open during summer months (usually open seasonally from late May to mid-September), generally located on two-lane highways, are more rustic in nature, located in scenic locations, and feature:

Parking
Toilet facilities
Drinking water
Picnic areas on a smaller scale
Recycling areas at some locations

Truck Parking Information Management System (TPIMS)

In December 2016, WisDOT joined several other Midwestern states by installing a Truck Parking Information Management System (TPIMS) to usher in the next generation of track parking technology.

TPIMS uses sensors and cameras to create real-time information about the availability of truck parking. Drivers can monitor for open parking spaces using tools such as dynamic roadside signs. TPIMS enhances safety and efficiency by helping commercial truck drivers plan rest periods without having to exit the freeway and waste time and fuel looking for appropriate space. Learn more about TPIMS.

Keeping our safety rest areas clean

Please use the provided trash containers and recycling bins and help keep Wisconsin's safety rest areas and waysides clean.

A comprehensive team of people work cooperatively behind the scenes to keep our safety rest areas and waysides clean, safe and in good working order:

Local Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRP), through the Rest Area Maintenance (RAM) program, provide the day-to-day maintenance at each safety rest area and some waysides. The CRPs provide employment for nearly 400 people with disabilities who might otherwise have limited employment opportunities.
Rehabilitation For Wisconsin (RFW), a private non-profit organization, is responsible for direction of the CRPs at each safety rest area.
Counties are responsible for snow plowing at safety rest areas and waysides and the maintenance of some waysides.
WisDOT's Bureau of Highway Maintenance is responsible for overseeing the state-wide safety rest area and wayside operation.

Comments

We welcome your comments and suggestions

Which safety rest area and/or wayside you visited
Date and time you were there
What you liked or didn't like

Lost and found

For lost items, visit roadsidefacilities.org

Historical marker

History

"Early roadside rest areas consisted of rural school grounds and country churchyards with their two little "houses" in back.
In Wisconsin, by 1920, curves were built to eliminate sharp road corners. Local garden clubs, with the American Legion and Auxiliary, began to beautify many of the resulting triangles with flowers and shrubs. Motorists used these places to relax and picnic.
In 1931 the Wisconsin Legislature authorized highway beautification, and later the familiar waysides – small roadside parks at first, and for many years, with no water or sanitation.
In 1940, garden and women’s clubs, the Legion, the Wisconsin Friends of Our Native Landscape and others organized the Wisconsin Roadside Council, joined by the County Highway and County Boards Associations, to aid the State Highway Commission in roadside development and increasing and improving waysides.
Through such initiatives Wisconsin gained the experience to become one of the very first states to provide these modern, full-facility I-Road safety rest areas you now enjoy approximately every 50 miles."

Wisconsin Historical Marker plaques, commemorating historical facts and events are located on-site at many safety rest areas and waysides.

For a complete list of official Wisconsin Historical Markers, visit the Wisconsin State Historical Society website.

Safety rest areas