New Hudson Valley Rest Stop Is Biggest in the State

The New York State Thruway Authority has announced the opening of the latest service area in the Hudson Valley... and it's the biggest in the entire state.

A massive $450 million project has seen service areas up and down the New York State Thruway completely redesigned and remodeled. Not only have they helped usher in the Hudson Valley's first Chick-fil-A locations, but the latest location to open is setting records in a different way.

Historic Service Area Opens on New York State Thruway

Last week, the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) announced the latest redesigned rest stop was now open for business. The Sloatsburg service area in Rockland County, was the 19th location to reopen under the project, and it has some very impressive stats.

Now Open: The Largest Service Area in New York

Dining options for drivers on I-87 north in the lower Hudson Valley now include Panda Express, Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, Dunkin', Starbucks, and more. The list is longer than most local rest stops because at over 31,000 square-feet, the new Sloatsburg Service Area is the largest service area in the state.

Read More: Sloatsburg New York Thruway Service Area Opens

The Smallest Service Area on the New York State Thruway

In comparison, the Dewitt service area in Syracuse, NY, which opened just days after the Sloatsburg service area, has no advertised restaurants and only offers drivers the branded Applegreen "C-Store", Starbucks, and Taste NY Products for food and beverage options. Here's how to tell what size a service area will be:

Different Service Area Levels in New York

According to the NYSTA, there are different levels to describe a service area's size and offerings, from level 1 being the smallest (like the recent Dewitt service area) to level 3, like Sloatsburg (below). There is also a 3B service area in Pembroke, NY that includes "commercial driver amenities".

So far, 20 out of the 27 New York State Thruway service areas have reopened under the Applegreen brand, with four more locations scheduled to reopen before the end of 2024. Take a look at service areas from the past below.