The Iowa DOT’s plan to expand parking at the I-80 eastbound rest area between the Victor and Ladora exits is available online. Construction is planned for late next year. KCCI reported that a rebuilt westbound rest area opened just before Christmas, but that appears to be inaccurate based on both Google Street View and this government contract. This rest area used to include an oddity — an Amana Colonies “Welcome Center” in an octagonal building, about as far from a state line as you can get.
The plan (PDF) nearly doubles the number of spaces for semi parking and nearly halves the number of spaces for passenger vehicles. The expansion moves the exit and re-entrance points on I-80 farther apart, and the “truck inspection area” adds a lot more space on the east side.