Drivers cruising I-77 through northern Summit County have a new reason to pull over. The Ohio Department of Transportation is showing off newly reimagined rest areas along both the northbound and southbound lanes, complete with indoor displays, a Storybook Trail and features highlighting Ohio’s native plants.
The agency’s District 4 office, which covers the Akron-Canton region, announced the finished rest areas in a Facebook post Monday, inviting travelers to check them out on their next trip. “Come see the newly reimagined I-77 northbound & southbound rest areas in northern Summit County on your next trip,” the Ohio Department of Transportation - Akron / Canton District 4 wrote. The post describes indoor displays at the sites along with the Storybook Trail and native-plant information, though it does not detail what the displays contain or which plants are featured.
A Long Closure Near Ira Road
The rest areas, located just north of Ira Road, had been closed for more than a year while crews rebuilt them. According to a notice hosted by Village of Richfield, Ohio, both the northbound and southbound rest areas shut down on Oct. 14, 2025, for replacement and improvement work, with closures expected to continue through late November 2026.
The notice outlined plans for lodge-style interiors with seating and covered picnic areas, plus outdoor features for families and pets. It also called for Ohio music and northeast Ohio tourism information, according to Village of Richfield, Ohio. District 4’s post confirms indoor displays and a Storybook Trail, but does not specify which planned features are in place or give an exact reopening date for either direction.
Storybook Trails And Highway Habitat
Ohio’s Storybook Trails are a statewide partnership: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio says it worked with ODNR and ODOT to bring trails to state parks and rest areas around the state. Its page does not confirm details specific to the Summit County trail. Separately, ODOT says its Pollinator Habitat Program supports biodiversity along state highways and protects pollinators.
Part Of A Broader Rest Area Push
The Summit County project fits into a larger effort by ODOT to modernize rest stops across the state, though accounts of the project’s scope vary. The Columbus Dispatch has reported that Ohio’s modernization push, which began in 2023, will add 36 new rest areas and upgrade another 40 by 2026. AASHTO Journal, meanwhile, has described the 2023 plan as refreshing and reimagining 36 rest areas statewide. The dossier does not reconcile those differing figures.
ODOT has said 29 rest areas statewide are slated to receive universal changing stations by the end of 2026, as noted by Spectrum News 1. The Ohio Department of Development says both Fayette County rest areas on I-71 have changing stations open to the public, but its page does not confirm that amenity at the Summit County I-77 sites. In a separate project, the Ohio Governor’s Office documented a visit to the new I-75 southbound rest area in Wapakoneta on Oct. 5, 2026. The site has exhibits from the Armstrong Air & Space Museum; those features should not be assumed to be at the Summit County stops.
For northeast Ohio drivers, the reimagined I-77 stops mark the visible end of a yearlong construction project near one of the region’s busier interstate corridors. Whether both directions are open to travelers at the same time, or exactly when the work wrapped, remains unconfirmed, but ODOT’s latest post suggests the long-promised upgrades are now ready for a visit.
