PMAA Sends Letter to Congress Opposing Rest Area Commercialization

On Tuesday, PMAA joined twelve organizations in sending a letter to the House and Senate urging them to protect the ban on privatizing and commercializing interstate rest areas and to consider legislation to incentivize investments in America’s infrastructure.

In an attempt to raise state revenue, many state governments have supported the idea of commercializing rest areas, contracting fueling and other services to private vendors. While advocates for commercialization claim that such services will benefit the public, the reality is that rest area commercialization would close as many as half of the nearby interchange-based businesses (according to a 2003 study by the University of Maryland). When Congress created the Interstate Highway System in 1956, community leaders feared that local businesses, jobs, and tax bases would shrink as truckers and other motorists bypassed their cities and towns. As a result, Congress prohibited development on interstate rights of way.

The ban on the commercialization of rest areas has resulted in a strong, competitive economic environment with over 60,000 businesses developing along U.S. interstate highways. Prohibiting publicly-run rest areas from competing with private sector businesses has been an undeniable success, resulting in industries that provide valuable services such as gas stations, travel plazas, truck stops, restaurants, and hotels.