The Interstate 95 rest area and welcome center in Robeson County will be getting a new modern building, thanks to the $4.6 million contract awarded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. 

The current rest area opened 25 years ago, and the separate welcome center building dates back to the late 1960s. 

A contractor will demolish the current center, the rest area, and vending building and replace them under one roof. The new welcome center will be 6,500-square feet and will feature energy-efficient lighting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning.

The NCDOT closed the rest area exit, located 5 miles north of the North Carolina-South Carolina line, earlier this year. Since then, the department has been doing parking lot repairs and other upgrades.

The next rest area on I-95 North is 43 miles away in Cumberland County, where the welcome center was relocated into a smaller space until completion of the new building. 

In the last year, the Robeson County welcome center estimated 1.1 million visitors.