America's Highway: Diesel fumes, hot showers and Bosselman’s

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Truck stops along the Interstate Highway System come and go with the traffic, but not Bosselman’s east of here on I-80.

It is located in the perfect spot at the crossroads of America.

Bosselman’s dates to before I-80 was built nearly 50 years ago, and it thrives today because it is big – more than a dozen pumping islands -- and has kept up with the times of a fast-track industry.

It features everything a tired trucker could want, including a hot shower. Across the road, there’s an amusement park, a casino and a race track.

Fred Jones is the assistant manager at Bosselman’s. He has spent a lifetime talking with truckers and listening to their tales.

So what do they talk about the most?

“Road issues,” Jones said. “The biggest thing they complain about is they want the construction done, but they feel the government is not working hard enough at it. There’s too much construction going on at one time and it takes too long.”

He pointed to Interstate 235, which runs through Des Moines, as an example. Jones said it has been under repair for so long that the Iowa Highway Department assigned it a Web site (www.i235.com) to keep drivers updated.

Officially, work began in 2002 and is supposed to be done by 2008. The spur was built in the 1950s during the first round of interstate construction, with the intent of keeping downtown Des Moines alive.

The premise worked but now the road is decaying and gridlock besets the construction zones during commuter hours. The result is nearby roads and streets are also clogged with traffic as motorists try to get around the problem.

“It has been going on forever and ever and ever,” said Sheryl McClure, wife of a trucker from Des Moines. “It is going to be nice when it is finished.”

CNHI News Service