Highway travelers crossing the long-remote West Texas desert now have a new place to rest on Interstate 10 with the opening of a modern new rest stop outside Van Horn.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the new “safety rest area” in Culberson County will be located on both the east and west sides of Interstate 10, nine miles east of Van Horn, replacing an older rest area four miles outside of Van Horn.
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The new 24-hour rest stations, which opened to the public on Saturday, June 1, were designed with location, design and amenities in mind to encourage drivers to stop and take a break to reduce fatigue on the road, the Texas Department of Transportation said in a news release.
“Driver fatigue is a leading cause of serious traffic crashes across the state,” Brent Johnson, Texas Department of Transportation's highway facilities division chief, said in a statement.
Driver fatigue can become a problem on the 500-plus mile drive through the desolate desert between El Paso and San Antonio.
Texas safety rest stops aim to improve road travel
The new “safety rest areas” across Texas feature heated and cooled restrooms, wireless internet, indoor exhibits, tornado shelters, police office space and enhanced security, including surveillance cameras, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
The Culberson County rest areas will each have parking spaces for 58 commercial trucks and 27 passenger cars, as well as shaded play areas and walking trails, officials said. Under state law, visitors can stay at the rest areas for up to 24 hours.
The Culberson County Safety Rest Area will be located 26 miles west of Fort Stockton and will be similar to the Pecos County Safety Rest Area along I-10, which opened in 2018.
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The Culberson County Safety Rest Station “will not only provide a safer trip with state-of-the-art facilities, but it will also highlight the historical importance of the area to all who stop through,” El Paso District Engineer Thomas Trevino said in a statement.
Trevino said the facility will feature educational exhibits about the Guadalupe Mountains, the 1850s Butterfield Overland Mail Coach Trail and the Blue Origin space tourism rocket launch near Van Horn.
The Culberson County facility is the newest of 76 safety rest areas along Texas roads and highways, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
