Strategic Rest Area Plan Town Hall Meetings
There are 32 rest areas in the state that are owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Others are owned by State Parks. In late summer/early fall of 2007, the Transportation Tourism Task Force identified the need to review all 32 rest area sites to determine what was working and what was not.

Most of the states rest areas were constructed more than 30 years ago. ODOT is attempting to maintain this system with minimal dollars and a lack of staff to address the various issues that arise in these areas.
Transportation officials are concerned about our aging rest area system, coupled with the expected rise in the states population and an anticipated significant increase in volume of freight traffic on our major roadways over the next twenty years.

 A field study was conducted by Travel Information Council staff and findings were brought to a sub committee of the Task Force to determine what basic services are being offered, what we could offer, and to set standards of services and amenities that would be available in a tiered system.

Tier one represents basic service- a rest area that is clean, safe, has adequate parking for cars and trucks, have tourism information available, heated restrooms, provide drinking water, picnic areas, pet areas, have uniform signage, be open 24/7 and have a positive impact on the traveling public.

Tier two would be a welcome center and a staffed rest area. Tier three would be a public/private partnership that may be a travel plaza such as the one in the Woodburn shopping area.
After those standards were set, TIC was tasked with conducting “town hall meetings”
across the state with local tourism and economic development professionals and to meet with area ODOT managers to get their input.