TxDOT Upgrades Sunset Rest Stops for Trucks

A $11 million project near Sunset, Texas is adding truck parking and rebuilt ramps at two rest stops along US 287/81.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Trucks

Photograph of a newly graded concrete truck-parking pad beside a flat rural Texas highway, with cleared brush and bare red soil under open sky. — The Texas Department of Transportation is spending $11 million to upgrade two closed rest stops on US 287/81 near Sunset, adding truck parking and rebuilt ramps. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you support spending $11 million on highway rest stop upgrades near Sunset?

The Texas Department of Transportation is spending $11 million to upgrade two rest stops on US 287/81 near Sunset, adding truck parking and reconstructed ramps for tractor-trailers. Both rest stops are currently closed for renovations, and the northbound right lane of US 287/81 will close starting November 9.

Why it matters

The project expands truck parking and improves ramp access along a major highway route in Texas, where tractor-trailers need safe places to rest. The northbound lane closure will affect drivers traveling through the area during construction.

The $11 million project covers two rest stops on US 287/81 near Sunset, with the contractor reconstructing both ramps for tractor-trailers and building an acceleration lane for merging traffic. No completion date or comparison to prior spending was included in the announcement.

The players

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

The state agency responsible for planning, building, and maintaining Texas's highway system, including rest stops and roadways along US 287/81.

The details

Preliminary work of clearing trees and removing pavement and picnic tables is underway at both rest stops. The project also includes improving internal roads and building new parking for semis, and TxDOT plans to convert the stops into rest areas with indoor bathrooms, vending machines, and travel information.

Northbound right lane of US 287/81 closes from the entrance to the exit ramp on Monday, November 9, 2026.
Future conversion of the rest stops into rest areas with indoor bathroom facilities (no date given).

Roadmap

Texas is adding dedicated truck parking and ramp capacity at existing highway rest stops rather than building new facilities from scratch. The project addresses the broader shortage of safe parking for tractor-trailers that federal truck parking studies have documented across interstate corridors.

Drivers traveling northbound on US 287/81 near Sunset should expect a lane closure beginning November 9 that affects the entrance and exit ramp area. Truck drivers will eventually have expanded parking and safer merge access at the rest stops once the renovations are finished.

The takeaway

Truck drivers using US 287/81 near Sunset should plan for the November 9 lane closure and watch for the reopened rest stops with expanded truck parking once construction ends.

What happens next

The northbound right lane of US 287/81 closes starting November 9, 2026, and TxDOT plans to convert the rest stops into rest areas with indoor bathrooms once the upgrades are complete.