Max Smith, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – The rest areas on Interstate 95 in Maryland are decades old, and Wednesday, the state’s Board of Public Works is set to vote on a contract that would overhaul them.
Under the provisions of the contract on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, a private company, Areas USA, would pay for renovations on Maryland House and new construction at Chesapeake House.
Under the plan, Areas USA would invest $56 million to redesign and rebuild both travel plazas so that that are energy-efficient. The company would maintain them through 2047.
Maryland House would close for construction in September. It would be scheduled to reopen in December 2013.
Services at Chesapeake House would remain open, since there is enough space to build a new building. That construction is scheduled to start in April 2013, with completion planned for summer 2014.
Bethesda-based company HMSHost has been challenging the way the Maryland Transportation Authority reached its agreement with Areas USA, which is based in Miami. There is a court case pending in Montgomery County.
Judge Eric Johnson lifted an injunction last week that delayed consideration of the contract by two weeks.
The Maryland House, about 20 miles north of Baltimore, opened in 1963. The Chesapeake House, closer to the Delaware line, opened in 1975.
Related Content:
- Here’s what Chesapeake House would look like after the renovations.
- Here’s what Maryland House would look like after the renovations.
- Maryland I-95 Travel Plazas
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