ROWLAND — The Rest Area and Welcome Center at Exit 5 on northbound Interstate 95 opened Monday showing off $5 million of improvements, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The project began in August 2022, when the Department of Transportation made funds available for the demolition of the 50-year-old facilities. The previous rest area opened about 25 years ago, and the separate welcome center building dates to the late 1960s.

Monday’s opening was about a year behind schedule, according to the original announcement, which said construction on the new building was expected to be completed and opened to the public by summer 2023.

The new Rest Area and Welcome Center center in southern Robeson County combined the previous buildings under one roof.

“The new, 6,500-square-foot building features more energy-efficient lighting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning,” according to a prepared statement released to the Robesonian on Monday. “The landscaping also has been refreshed.” In 2022, when the project began, the rest area had an estimated 1.1 million visitors, according to NCDOT.

The next rest area on I-95 North is 43 miles away in Cumberland County, where NCDOT relocated the welcome center into smaller, temporary space until the new building was constructed in Robeson County closer to the stateline. The N.C. Department of Commerce operates the welcome center, while the NCDOT maintains the rest areas.