The Shandon Rest Area is located between the Central Coast and the San Joaquin Valley on Highway 46. Originally built in the 1970s, Shandon’s facilities had become outdated and costly to maintain – no longer meeting the needs of its 1.5 million annual visitors. To address these needs and to update the disabled access of the decades-old facility, officials announced the rest area would be rebuilt from the ground up. Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation supplied 9,400 sq. ft. of sleek roof and wall panels for the new rest area.
The transformation of the Shandon, CA rest area included construction of new and expanded restroom facilities, upgrades to parking, pedestrian safety improvements, and repairing or replacing electrical, sewer and water systems. The project team turned to Metal Sales to ensure that the roadside oasis for motorists would last for decades to come.
Metal Sales provided the roof and wall panels for two restroom areas, a crew building with a California Highway Patrol satellite office and a separate circular structure housing vending machines.
For the roof application, Metal Sales supplied 7,800 sq. ft. of 22 gauge, 7/8” Corrugated panels with an Acrylic Coated Galvalume® finish.
“A unique aspect of this project is the barrel-style roof,” said Tom Ehlers, Senior Project Engineer of Specialty Construction, general contractor of the project. “Metal Sales supplied panels that were effectively shaped to match the radius of the roof, allowing for a smooth installation.”
For the wall application, Metal Sales supplied 1,600 square feet of 24 gauge, 7/8” Corrugated panels and T2832 panels with a PVDF (Kynar 500®) finish in their Rustic Steel color. The color of the panels complements the lighter-hued block wall, blending with the California landscape to create a natural feel.
“Metal Sales did a great job color customizing the wall panels to meet the customer’s exact requests—an essential part of this project,” said Ehlers.
Amenities now available at the Shandon Rest Area include two restroom buildings, a revitalized pedestrian area, public information kiosks, picnic tables, benches, recycling containers, interpretive displays, site lighting, pet areas, indigenous landscaping and refreshment vending machines.
In addition to new amenities for travelers, the 11-acre rest facility includes a crew building with a California Highway Patrol satellite office. This new facility provides a safe place for patrolmen to interact with the public and write police reports. Safety is a primary function of the rest area. In addition to offering motorists a break from the roadway, rest stops are commonly known to decrease traffic collisions and accidents within a 30-mile radius of their location.