N.C. DOT opens 'green' rest station

Wilkesboro, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation opened the state's first environmentally-friendly rest station early this month.

The Northwest North Carolina Visitor's Center, off U.S. Highway 421 in Wilkesboro, will greet visitors to the mountains.

"It's part of our initiative for greening the Department of Transportation," said Don Lee, who manages DOT's rest area program.

The $3.3 million, 10,000-square-foot building features solar panels, geothermal wells for heating and cooling, and a rain-water collection system.

"We're hopeful that we can collect enough rainwater to fully operate the site for lavatories," Lee said.

DOT officials said the green technology will pay off. The new rest stop in Wilkesboro is about 40 percent more efficient than a traditional rest area.

Monitor the green rest station's energy savings.

Older rest areas do have some green features. For example, one near Benson has recycling bins and older solar-panel technology.

The rest area in Wilkesboro, though, is an experiment the state is watching carefully.

"We've got a lot of facilities that are 25, 30 years old that need renovations," Lee said. "We're going to be looking at more green technologies."

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Latest Comments

I work on a green campus, and here's why I don't like "green:" it's either freezing or too hot. The lights are on sensors, and as is the case now, lights stay on when no one is in the room. There are no wall switches to turn them off. Water sensors are weird; the water comes on when you walk by the sink, and the commodes flush when no one is in the stall. Where is the savings? I'm glad everyone is excited with the "green" but check back in a year and see if this rest stop saved anything.

Here kitty kitty
October 12, 2009 7:57 p.m.

It says 3.3 million, not 12, but everything bashers love to inflate things 4 times. Read the article, not the comments. And for the person that said you could build one for 100k, what century do you live in? The land alone would probably cost 3 times that. It has to be way bigger than land for a house!!! They will probably save so much in water and electricity that it will end up cheaper than a typical stop in long run. I use rest stops a lot on long trips, they are much less creepy than running in to go at some dirty Hardees or something.

veekee
October 12, 2009 7:47 p.m.

Green rest station...that means it welcomes martians, right?

Here kitty kitty
October 12, 2009 6:55 p.m.

WOW, Maybe the public can learn something. It is time we stop burning reptile blood and clean our environment. If you are talking about oil it is not reptile blood. Maybe you can learn something.

fishon
October 12, 2009 4:24 p.m.

I'm going near Winston-Salem in a few weeks. Maybe I'll continue on to this site so we can inaugurate the facility. Might as well take advantage, can't recall I've used a bathroom that cost $12 Million!

fishon
October 12, 2009 4:12 p.m.