Well-trafficked California highway rest stop to close for a year

A well-traveled California rest stop will be closed for an entire year starting Tuesday, Caltrans announced.

CH Warlow Rest Area, located on California State Route 99 just south of Fresno, will close on Dec. 12. It's expected that "wastewater, electrical and infrastructure upgrades" will take about 12 months to complete. 

If Google reviews are any indication, the rest stop is popular among motorists: It boasts a 4.3 star average out of over 600 reviews. Along with restrooms, the road stop has picnic tables, electric vehicle charging stations and a pet-friendly area. The rest stop was dedicated in 1970 to Chester Warlow, a State Highway Commission member from 1943 to 1961. Warlow grew up in Fresno and attended Stanford and Harvard Law, and oversaw 99 during a time when it carried “as much traffic as the rest of the state highways put together,” the Fresno Bee wrote in 1970. 

While the rest stop is closed, drivers in need of a bathroom and stretching break will have to hold on until the Phillip S. Raine Rest Area, about 30 miles further south. That rest stop, which has also been closed for repairs, reopens on Monday.