Nancy Hanks Rest Area set to close

SPENCER CO., IN (WFIE) - The Nancy Hanks rest area near Dale will soon be closed. Many truck drivers depend on rest areas like this one for overnight parking. While Joel Willis was on his way to Ohio, he stopped at the rest area for a quick break.

“You know we only have 11 hours we can drive and if we expect a place to be open or be there... but you’ve got a little spot like this right here, if you’re expecting to roll up on it and it’s not here, you have kind of messed up,” said Willis.

Willis says the driving life means long days. He needs rest areas like the one here in Spencer County. But after a traffic review, INDOT is shutting it down. The review found that not enough people stop on their trips.

Dale Town Manager Ray Striegel disagrees.

“In Dale we have a Denny’s restaurant and it is full, also, with trucks every night. They say ‘we have an exit at Dale and Ferdinand’. Sure there are exits but not place to park,” said Striegel.

INDOT public information officer Jason Tiller tells us that the cost to refurbish and maintain the rest area could reach up to $2 million and the money they would save could improve busier rest stops.

Drivers like Willis understand, but he is still hoping for a spot to pull off and spend the night.

“You don’t have to have the building here, but at least leave the parking. Give us somewhere to stop and rest up if we need to because driving these trucks, we get tired," said Willis.

A date has not yet been set for when the rest area will officially close.

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