Research on Function Expansion and Concept Innovation of Expressway Service Area Based on Demand—Taking Hainan Province as an Example

Service areas are an important part of expressway infrastructure. The construction of expressways started early in developed countries abroad. Many other countries had clear and unified specifications on the planning, form, scale, and service facilities allocation of expressway service areas. However, in China, we have always focused on classification, spacing, and size configuration. Now with multiple national strategic development plans such as economic development, tourism, military and civilian integration, and town revitalization, we urgently need to research the functional expansion and concept innovation of expressway service areas to adapt to new demands. This article is based on the expressway service in Hainan Province. We research various functions to expand the role of expressway service areas. Then we discuss service areas from the people-oriented, green, low carbon, and intelligence aspect. Overall, we provide a theoretical basis for the high quality development of expressway service area in modern China.