REPORT: Virginia rankles motorists by closing half of all rest-stops amidst budget woes
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/" rel="tag">Government/Legal</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a></p><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/07/vdot-rest-area.jpg" /><br /><br />Motorists traveling through Virginia take note: It's time to get used to crossing your legs just a wee bit tighter on long trips through the Old Dominion as the Virginia Department of Transportation has closed nearly half of all its interstate rest areas. The cited reason? Budgetary shortfalls... what else?<br /><br />According to VDOT, the closure of these 18 rest areas will save $9 million per year and will be joined by delayed construction projects and a slew of laid off workers. Virginia politicians have apparently been arguing the issue for months and a suitable compromise has yet to be reached.<br /><br />In addition to the obvious loss of restroom choices, critics argue that the shuttering of rest stops may have a negative impact on the safety of travelers as weary drivers and tired truckers will have far fewer places to stop for some shuteye or to get a quick coffee. With more and more states facing severe budget shortfalls, could your state be next? Click past the break for a press release and a full list of closed VA rest areas.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/212639">Roanoke.com</a>]<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/23/report-virginia-rankles-motorists-by-closing-half-of-all-rest-s/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>REPORT: Virginia rankles motorists by closing half of all rest-stops amidst budget woes</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/23/report-virginia-rankles-motorists-by-closing-half-of-all-rest-s/">REPORT: Virginia rankles motorists by closing half of all rest-stops amidst budget woes</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/212639>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/23/report-virginia-rankles-motorists-by-closing-half-of-all-rest-s/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19107027/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/23/report-virginia-rankles-motorists-by-closing-half-of-all-rest-s/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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