Gov. Chris Christie has announced a deal for 16 rest stop areas along the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway to either be upgraded or completely replaced.

During a stop at the Monmouth Rest Area on the Parkway on Wednesday, Christie said an agreement has been reached for the food service firm HMSHost and Sunoco to spend more than $250 million on the project, in exchange for new contracts to continue operating the food and fuel concessions at the facilities for the next 25 years.

“Over the next seven years you’re going to see every one of these rest stops redone, modernized, and you’re going to have a much better place to make your stops,” he said.

Christie said rest stops are important because drivers stop “to get gas, they’ll stop to get something to eat, they’ll stop to use the facilities, and for a lot of these folks, their first impression of our state."

David Matthau, Townsquare Media NJ
David Matthau, Townsquare Media NJ
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He noted said most of the facilities look old and outdated because they are —most were constructed back in the 1950s.

“I spend a lot of time on these roads, and if you do, quite frankly these are pretty dated and not very well functioning places," he said.

According to a news release issued by the Governor’s Office, under the agreement, which still must be officially ratified by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority next month, HMSHost will replace buildings at the Vince Lombardi, Thomas Edison, Joyce Kilmer, Walt Whitman, Clara Barton, and John Fenwick service areas on the Turnpike and the Forked River and Monmouth service areas on the Parkway.

The release indicates the new buildings will total 138,300 square feet and cost between $10 million and $15 million apiece. The Thomas Edison and Monmouth facilities are the first ones scheduled to be replaced. Construction on those two will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2019.

In addition, HMSHost has agreed to invest an additional $26.4 million to remodel the Woodrow Wilson, Richard Stockton, Molly Pitcher, and James Fenimore Cooper service areas on the Turnpike and the Cheesequake and Montvale service areas on the Parkway.

According to the release, at most of those facilities, the work will involve the construction of open, natural-light dining areas.

Christie stressed all of the work will be done “at no cost to the Turnpike Authority, the toll-payers or the taxpayers.”

The governor said part of the rehab work will include upgrading all rest rooms at the rest stops.

He said the Monmouth rest area will be the first facility to be upgraded, and construction will begin sometime next year and be completed in 2019.

Christie said Sonoco “will be making a $90 million investment in 21 fuel service facilities. They’ll also be making enhancements to several service area buildings along the Turnpike, in addition to convenience stores and the remodeling of existing ones.”

He added Sunoco will also “install new fuel dispensers on the Turnpike to pump diesel fuel more easily.”

Sunoco will also assume responsibility for more than 80 underground storage tanks on the Turnpike. It's already responsible for the 40 underground storage tanks that are on the Parkway, he said.

When asked if more varieties of food would be available at the refurbished rest areas the Governor said HMSHost would be making those decisions at some point in the future.

"There will be periods of time where rest areas will be closed while we’re renovating and rebuilding, but there will always be another rest area a few miles south or north for you to go to during that period of time," he said.

You can contact reporter David Matthau at David.Matthau@townsquaremedia.com.

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