Trucking loads across the country requires truckers to stay up-to-date with highway and road developments nationwide. To help you stay informed and choose your routes wisely, we�ve compiled some transportation changes we�re noticing across the country.

New Stoplights on US 41

The Indiana Department of Transportation (IDOT) recently announced plans to install more stoplights in their strategy to reconstruct the U.S. 41-Lloyd Expressway interchange. Nicknamed �Stoplight City,� Evansville, Ind., is already known among truckers as a city that takes longer to drive through, due to their stoplights. The new lights will join at least a dozen already lining the road. IDOT plans to install the stoplights at the end of two slip ramps onto US 41, and construction is expected to begin in the middle of the year and be completed by 2014.

Rest Areas Reopen on Mississippi�s I-20

At a time when many states have closed rest stops due to budget cuts, Mississippi will reopen ones on Interstate 20, near Gautier. Two rest areas are receiving a facelift after much traffic caused wear-and-tear, particularly the truckers� parking lot area. The renovation work includes repairing sidewalks, bringing the facilities in federal compliance with handicapped accessibility, replacing lighting structures and improving landscaping. The Gautier eastbound rest area will reopen in about two months, while the westbound facility will reopen in three months.

Potential Truck Ban on Highway 154

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is currently considering banning certain trucks on Highway 154 in Santa Maria. The proposed ban came as a result of an accident involving a big rig that killed a family of three. Currently, we�ve not seen details on the specific trucks that could be prohibited from using the highway. The agency is presently in talks with state legislators and plans to make a decision within two months.

Improvements Start on SR-823

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced they will begin improving traffic conditions on SR-823 (South Wenas Corridor) on February 7, 2011. One of the main reasons for the construction is to divert truck traffic away from congested downtown streets and provide easier access to the industrial areas where they commonly move freight. Commercial business is expanding in the area, as is commercial truck traffic. WSDOT expects to complete construction by the summer of 2012.

Inevitably, many more changes are happening nationwide that may affect your travel plans. We�ll be sure to periodically keep you posted with road developments as they occur.