Date:  Thursday, July 31, 2008

Contact: Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 705-7080 (Olympia)
Doug Pierce, Safety Rest Areas Program Manager (360) 705-7812 (Olympia)

OLYMPIA – Monday, WSDOT will start an extreme makeover at the Maytown Safety Rest Area south of Olympia. This extreme makeover will take a bit longer than seven days.

From Aug. 4 through Oct. 31, travelers visiting the rest area on southbound I-5 south of Olympia will see a facility under renovation. No water will be available. Restroom services will be limited to portable toilets and hand sanitizer. While the water is off, there will be no free coffee service.

More than 800,000 people visit the Maytown Safety Rest Area each year. The facility, built in 1969, has not been upgraded since 1989.

On the northbound side of I-5, work on the parking area at the Scatter Creek Safety Rest Area should be complete Oct. 3. Parking is available at the Scatter Creek Safety Rest Area and rest rooms are open.

The Maytown and Scatter Creek Safety Rest Area work is part of a $8.5 million renovation and environmental improvement project to update the two Safety Rest Areas, improve parking, RV dump stations, and connect to the local sewer system.

WSDOT recognizes the inconvenience and crews will complete the work as soon as possible, while keeping portable toilets accessible to visitors. Drivers are encouraged to follow the blue motorist information signs along the highway that advertise alternative available services.

For more information about WSDOT's safety rest areas, including a statewide list of locations, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/restareas/.

For more information on I-5 Grand Mound to Maytown, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/GrandMoundtoMaytown/.

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