Source: Ohio Department of Transportation – Akron / Canton District 4 / Facebook
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…