LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Trucking Association applauds a $23 million federal grant to build a truck parking and rest area facility along future Interstate 49 in Crawford County and credits Congressman Steve Womack for making truck parking a federal infrastructure priority.
Awarded to the Arkansas Department of Transportation through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s INFRA program, the grant will fund final design and construction between the Gun Club Road and Clear Creek Road interchanges. The facility will accommodate approximately 130 trucks and 50 passenger vehicles.
“Safe, accessible truck parking is not a convenience for our industry. It is essential that drivers have a safe place to get meaningful rest,” said ATA President Shannon Newton. “Congressman Womack understands how directly that affects drivers’ lives and our industry’s ability to deliver. His persistence is turning a longstanding concern into real investment. This project will make a meaningful difference for truck drivers, improve safety for everyone traveling on our highways, and strengthen Arkansas’s position as a vital link in our nation’s supply chain.”
Nationally, there is approximately one truck parking space for every 11 truck drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations. Limited parking forces drivers to spend valuable time searching for available spaces or leaves them with few safe alternatives when their allowable driving hours expire.
Womack has consistently prioritized dedicated truck parking funding in transportation appropriations legislation. The I-49 project brings that commitment home to Arkansas, strengthening a freight corridor that businesses and communities depend on every day.
