A Look at New York’s Thruway Rest Areas: Why The Hate?

They're brand new!  They've got new restaurants and they look great.  But people are complaining about one major design flaw.

New York State has brand new rest stops

In 2021, refurbishment began on rest stops all along one of New York State's biggest thruways.  The I-90 has seen numerous new rest stops fully re-done for travelers this summer.  It's part of a $450 million project that is just about finished.

What is the point of a rest stop?

New York State isn't the only state that offers rest stops to travelers who are passing through.  The idea is to keep them refreshed and rested so that they can be safer on the road.  Many of them offer restaurants where people can get a bite to eat, or some coffee to get recharged.  They almost always have a little gift shop and a place to sit.  And of course, there are restrooms.

People are not happy with the new designs

The new rest stops haven't even been open for a full year yet and there are already plenty of concerns/complaints about one major design flaw.

The problem with the new stops is the size of the bathroom.  As more and more people are getting their summer vacations in and are driving across New York State, they're finding that there are just not enough toilets for people to use.

When stopping at a rest stop, some people like to do what they need to do and get back on the road.  The last thing they want to do is wait in line to go to the bathroom (there's a good chance they've waited awhile before they decided to stop anyway!).

The comments to this post seemed to echo that feeling:

Has anyone had a different experience at these new stops?