Arizona to Shutter Rest Stops to Save Money

The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to temporarily close 13 highway rest stops, possibly close 12 Motor Vehicle Division field offices, defer $370 million in highway construction projects

and cut 10 percent of its staff, in order to address a $100 million budget shortfall.

"More than $500 million in transportation funding has been diverted in the past year to address the state's budget challenges," said John Halikowski, ADOT director. "ADOT's customers pay their own way by using transportation services, but because the state is using transportation funds to pay for other needs and people are buying less fuel and fewer vehicles, we are simply running out of money."

The state will shut down operations at 13 rest areas starting the week of Oct. 19, leaving five ADOT and more than a dozen non-ADOT rest areas open. The closures impact the following rest areas: Bouse Wash, Canoa Ranch, Ehrenberg, Hassayampa, Haviland, Mazatzal, McGuireville, Meteor Crater, Mohawk, Parks, Salt River Canyon, San Simon, and Sacaton. Two of these facilities - Mazatzal and Salt River Canyon - are already closed due to water system issues.

The department hopes to partner with businesses, so travelers can stop and use restroom facilities free of charge. The state has provided maps, showing the nearest location for services from each of the closed rest areas.

Although the DOT says the closings are temporary, on the flyer announcing the closings, it points out that "In the last 50 years, our metropolitan communities have grown and commercial facilities along our interstate systems have proliferated, decreasing the necessity for as many rest areas as were originally built." The flyer says the status of the closed rest areas will be assessed next June at the end of the fiscal year.

The Arizona DOT tapped $350 million in federal funding for highway projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but state funding for other projects will be cut by $370 million over the next four years. In order to hold onto its share of federal funds, the state must be able to match federal transportation funding collected through fuel taxes.

"Drivers will continue to see projects being built across the state because the federal government sends money to Arizona for highway construction," Halikowski said. "That money is restricted by federal and state laws to pay for construction activities and cannot be used for general operations, such as MVD services."

Highway maintenance activities will focus on safety, such as emergency response, snow and ice removal, and emergency repairs. Maintenance activities to keep state highways operational, including landscaping and graffiti removal, will occur less frequently or not at all.

For more information on the impacts of the 2010 budget, visit www.azdot.gov/BudgetRoadmap.