Why are so many rest stops closed?
I'm heading west from NC on my way to Los Angeles along I-40. I've noticed that about 30% of the rest stops are closed. Why is that? Is it because of budget cuts, restoration, abuses by travelers? ...
Forum Discussion
IDman wrote:Hey, I was just using your numbers. I have no idea how much it costs to run a rest stop 24/7/365. But keeping them clean, supplied, insured, lit, supplied with water and sewer, patrolled and secured and kept in good repair isn't cheap.
WesternParkOwner, Usually I agree with you but cannot on this. How in the world can it cost nearly $1000 per day to maintain? Water, elec., toilet paper, trash removal?
And how can you spend $500,000 by putting up signs and barricades to close it. That is government waste, fraud, and inefficiency
at it's worst!
I suggested to CDOT to have volunteers man the stops. Was told that creates a liability for the state. They don't reason or analyze, just throw more money at everything...because it is OUR money, not THEIRS.
I also have no idea how they spent $500,000 to close them. I would guess a bunch of that money goes to removing the services that otherwise could harm someone. Removing a septic system probably is expensive, especially if you use state workers. Same with shutting down and removing all the wiring, all the doors and windows and eventually removing the structure.
