Early reviews for new Thruway rest stops are starting to come in and users are finding lots to complain about.
Long lines. Too small. Not enough car chargers.
The long lines for restaurants could change as more rest stops open, but another source of criticism is that some of the rest areas that have reopened are small, such as the Indian Castle service area, about 220 miles east of Buffalo on the way to Albany. The stop includes a Popeyes, Starbucks, a convenience store and a seating area for roughly 20 people.
During a February budget hearing, Assemblyman Michael Norris of Lockport, who commutes to Albany along the Thruway, noted at such smaller rest areas, “there's very limited space for people to actually eat their food, to sit down or rest.”
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“We're concerned about drowsiness in drivers. I personally do not find them to be sufficient as they're being designed right now,” Norris said. “And I know many of my constituents don't either. What's being done to look at that before the other ones are being constructed?”
Interim Thruway Authority executive director Frank Hoare responded that the size of the sites were determined based on the traffic. He said those currently open are “busier now because there are other rest areas down.”
Across the highway from Indian Castle is the much larger Iroquois service area, featuring a Starbucks, Burger King and Chick-fil-A.
Another protest lodged about the stops is coming from environmental groups, who believe many more electric vehicle charging stations are needed.
"We must lead by example on the roadway that traverses the entire state, from the Bronx to Dunkirk," said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. "Next door, New Jersey is building out eight charging stations per rest area, while we are only doing a minimum of two."
The contract between the Thruway Authority and Applegreen called for 120 charging stations at the 27 sites, or about four each.
"To me, that's totally inadequate," Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson said at the February hearing. "I think you need at least eight. Because people are going to come there, we don't want them to get into fights over who was there first. And you should have at least eight because this is going to be the way of the future."
In addition, the universal chargers are not easily compatible with cars made by Tesla, the most popular brand of electric vehicles. For a Tesla, an adapter must be used at the stations.
Applegreen says that the company planned to add more chargers "based on demand."
"We are working closely with National Grid and others, who are building out additional grid capacity in order to support the increased demand for these stations," Applegreen spokesman Paul O'Kane said.
