This afternoon as I was sitting down at the computer to check e-mail, I noticed an article my wife, Mary, printed for me.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), travelers on America's vast network of Interstate Highways could see fewer and fewer rest areas, primarily due to budget constraints. Please click here to read.

Last October, as I made my way up I-75 to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a "roadmeet", I noticed that a pair of rest areas between Chattanooga and Knoxville were barracaded with concrete barriers. Fortunately, I didn't feel the "urge", so I kept on going. Somehow, I suspected that Tennessee's budget woes had to do with the closings, and this article from the WSJ confirmed it.

Here in Georgia, there have been several older rest areas that have been closed, all but one being areas without restrooms. The old I-20 rest areas in Rockdale County, IIRC, had only pay phones. In the last 2-3 years, GDOT closed the I-85 northbound rest area in Gwinnett County near Suwanee. This rest area did have restrooms and would've been in the "middle of nowhere" when that stretch was built in the 1960s, but with Gwinnett's phenominal growth over the last 25-30 years, it's not a surprise that this particular rest area was shut down. The I-85 southbound rest area in Gwinnett between GA 20 and I-985, however, is apparently still open, though I wonder for how long.

While I understand the need for governments to exercise financial restraint, especially in hard economic times, it is my hope that states will not just take their proverbial axes and close down rest areas just for the sake of saving money. If I had to make such a decision (and frankly, I don't want that job), I would look at the following criteria...

- Where is said rest area located?

If it is on a rural stretch with several miles between exits and otherwise few or no services for miles, then I would keep it open.

- How many people per day/month/quarter/year visit said rest area?

After all, they are not only places for "potty breaks", but most important, they are places to allow a driver some brief "downtime". Sleepy drivers on any highway, especially a high-speed highway such as an Interstate, makes it dangerous for everyone (drivers, fellow drivers, and passengers). Furthermore, the Interstate Highway System is an "economic artery" for moving goods across the nation, and wrecks cause traffic jams, which causes hours of wasted time getting said goods from "Point A" to "Point B". Increased transportation costs would have to be passed on to the consumer, thus we all will ultimately suffer.

- Does the rest area have restroom facilities?

If said rest area does not, then look at the first 2 questions and bulid them accordingly if said rest area is to remain open. In said restrooms, install both "low flow" toilets and "waterless" urinals for water savings. Use energy efficient air dryers to save on wasted paper. With less water used and decreased refuse, it will make maintenance of said restrooms much more efficient. All these items are already found in several existing rest area restrooms, thus I'm not exactly advocating anything new.

Several years ago, Florida had crime problems at its rest areas, including (IIRC) a murder of foreign tourists at a rest area on I-10. As a result, they have hired private security firms to monitor them and posted signs accordingly. Several of Georgia's former rest areas were shut down due to their becoming "hotspots" for illicit sexual encounters. As for visiting any rest area, my advice is simple... be aware of your surroundings and if something just doesn't "seem right" to you, then get the heck out of there ASAP.

Finally, I was intrigued that some people are "rest area buffs". According to the WSJ article, historical consultant Joanna Dowling of Chicago, Illinois, did a master's thesis on these seemingly ubiquitous sights on our Interstates and even created a website, www.restareahistory.org, for such buffs. As a "roadgeek", I can't say I'm really a "rest area buff" (though I do appreciate rest areas for those times when we've "gotta go"), but Ms. Dowling's site offers such tidbits as America's only rest area with a structure that is a federally-registered historic landmark. I've just got to get her to be my guest for a future "GRG On BTR" episode.

That's it for now. Thanks to my wife for printing the article and to y'all for reading. Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

 

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