Have you ever
wondered, “Where is the world’s largest truck stop”? If you’re not a trucker,
you probably haven’t. But at Rocking O Construction, we have built several truck stops and travel plazas across
Oklahoma, so we are very interested in this type of commercial construction and
contracting. Anyway, the world’s largest truck stop title is currently claimed
by Iowa 80, located on Interstate 80, Exit 284, just outside of Walcott, Iowa.
You may not expect Iowa to be the location of such a large and well-built truck
stop, but the state is a major crossroads for shipping within the industry.
Iowa 80 was
originally opened in 1964, which means that it is celebrating its 50th
anniversary in 2014. It has been added on to and re-modeled several times over
the years by different contractors; it was not all built overnight or at any
one time. Iowa 80 is a major destination for both truck drivers and tourists
alike, as well as families that just happen to be out on the road and in need
of a place to get gas, grab a quick bite to eat, or use the restroom
facilities.
Iowa 80 has
more than 50,000 items available for sale in the store and serves more than
5,000 patrons each day. This is a lot for a commercial business built in the
country alongside a freeway! The truck stop also serves 2 million cups of
coffee each year, and an average of 53 tons of beef and 58 tons of pork each
year. More than 18 million eggs have been served over the past 5 decades, and
the truck stop itself has received more than 64 million visitors to the main
building, which is currently almost 100,000 square feet, and may be added on to
at some point, if new construction ever takes place at the world’s largest
truck stop in the future.
If you’re ever in the
Walcott area, a visit to Iowa 80 is a quick and (potentially) inexpensive
option that you might as well add to your agenda. The building itself is quite
impressive to us, because we work in the commercial construction field and build truck stops on a regular basis along the
highways of Oklahoma between Dallas and Tulsa, as well as other places.
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