Traveling by car across Arizona is made easier when there is a rest area available to stop and stretch your legs. As you drive across the state, travelers are seeing a few differences.
Beginning in 2009, the Arizona Legislature gave the Arizona Department of Transportation the ability to opt into a public-private partnership to support the department with different projects.
Before 2013, ADOT was working with separate contractors to maintain 14 rest areas across the state. ADOT entered into the state’s first public-private partnership with Infrastructure Corporation of America. Laura Douglas with ADOT said the partnership has made the process of rest-area maintenance and business more efficient allowing ADOT to return to its roots.
“This was something that we wanted to do in order to get ADOT out of the daily rest area business and focus on our core mission of building and maintaining highways,” Douglas said.
The partnership allows ICA to attract other sponsors and advertisers to gain revenue which ADOT will get a cut of.
“And that particular revenue that goes ADOT’s way, ultimately goes back into the state highway fund for projects that really benefit us all. So, it’s really a win-win situation,” Douglas said.
She said over 10 years, the department is guaranteed $1 million to help fund future projects.
