In coordination with INDOT’s rest area projects, JSE was responsible for providing overall Project Management, overseeing the Design and Construction of the Southbound Welcome Center and the Northbound Rest Area along I-65.

The Kankakee Welcome Center advances a positive public image of engineering excellence by enhancing the experience of the customers who use the facility and providing additional amenities that were not available. There are two 4-stall trucker restroom buildings. These buildings are located conveniently in the truck parking lot to better provide access to the commercial truck drivers who utilize this facility during their commute. The site also provides a walking trail and adult fitness equipment giving the opportunity to stretch the legs and keep active on long road trips. In addition to the exercise equipment, there is a playground for children and a dog park to provide amenities for the whole family.

This project utilizes the design of a wet-bottom retention pond to provide peak mitigation, enhance water quality leaving the site, and provide an aesthetic element, showcasing Indiana’s unique beauty. The pond has a wooden boardwalk which snakes over the pond and back again, connecting to a 1-mile walking path around the site. This beautiful element is enhanced by windmill tips painted by local artists, and each are a unique representation of what Indiana means to them.

The trucking parking lot is sloped, to drain effluent to the center of the parking lot where the water is filtered through bio-swales as a primary water quality treatment, before flowing into the pond to treat for sedimentation.

The Welcome Center building, and Trucker Restroom facilities are equipped with air purifiers that use bipolar ionization to purify indoor air and promote overall health and safety.