Rest areas along state and federal highways are vital stops for travelers needing a public place to stretch their legs, use a restroom and exercise pets or for drowsy drivers to safely take a nap.
The Gaviota Rest Areas — on each side of Highway 101 just south of the Gaviota Tunnel — haven’t provided much of a respite recently. They’ve been closed for improvements since last summer, and have experienced several other shutdowns over the years.
According to the Caltrans website, the Gaviota rest stops are expected to reopen on April 29 after a $4.6 million upgrade by San Luis Obispo-based Specialty Construction.
“This project was implemented to address the issue of the closures in the past,” said Jim Shivers, spokesman for Caltrans District 5. “The project includes upgrades to the advanced wastewater treatment system and will include a cloud-based monitoring system.”
The Gaviota sites are Caltrans Safety Roadside Rest Areas positioned on state routes throughout California. But their long-term shutdown — as well as the closed Camp Roberts Rest Areas in southern Monterey County — means there currently are no state rest areas available between Oceanside in San Diego County and Sausalito just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
When open, both the Gaviota and Camp Roberts sites offer restrooms, picnic tables, pay phones, water, handicapped access and pet areas. The Camp Roberts sites include vending machines, an ashtray dump box and electric vehicle charging stations.
The Camp Roberts Rest Areas — a few miles south of Bradley at Camp Roberts, the California National Guard post that straddles Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties — closed for their own facility upgrades late last year.
The Caltrans website lists an expected reopening date of Sept. 30.
The Camp Roberts project also includes a cloud-based resource monitoring system, as well as the replacement of the wastewater disposal system and the construction of a maintenance storage area and crew room on the northbound side of the highway, according to Shivers.
Newton Construction + Management of San Luis Obispo is handling the $4.2 million project, Caltrans said.
“It should be noted that these are 24/7 heavy-use facilities and at some point, there will be a need for maintenance and improvements to the treatment systems,” Shivers said of the Gaviota and Camp Roberts sites.
“We are working to reopen these facilities as soon as possible, and we recognize the importance of these rest areas to the traveling public.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.