According to articles from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WXIA-TV (11 Alive) websites, the Georgia DOT (GDOT) is about to close 2 more rest areas, both on I-85. They are as follows...

- I-85 southbound between GA 20 and I-985 in Gwinnett County. (In my blog "Could Rest Areas Go Away?", I had a feeling that this one would evenutally be on the "chopping block".)

- I-85 northbound in Franklin County.

With the closing of these 2 rest areas, only I-85's 2 Georgia Welcome Centers will remain.

As for the Lavonia rest area to be closed, Mary and I did stop there for a "potty break" last month during our roadtrip to North Carolina.

One thing I had found was that there were only a few free state roadmaps... and those were 2007 maps. Granted, if you needed a map, that was better than nothing, but it was kind of disappointing that GDOT didn't bother to keep them stocked. Furthermore, the rest area did not seem to be as heavily used as those along I-75 in south Georgia. Given the lack of usage, I can see where it would not necessarily be the safest place for anyone to stop at night.

Besides rest areas, there are several roadside parks that can be found along Georgia's US and state routes, including, but not limited to...

- US 78 in Walton County.
- US 129 in Jackson County.
- GA 17 Alt in Stephens County.

The ones I have observed simply have (at most) picnic tables and no restrooms or vending machines. I wonder how much GDOT spends (if anything) to keep them up? Are any of these parks used by travelers enough to justify the cost? Are they, too, potential "crime magnets"? As a taxpayer, I'm curious.

That's it for now. Thanks to Kevin Troutman for sharing the 11 Alive article with me and to y'all for reading and please come back again.

 

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