The North Dakota Department of Transportation plans to shutter five highway rest areas as part of its effort to address a shortfall in revenue, the Bismarck Tribune reported this week.
The state is closing rest areas in the northern part of the state including:
- Norwich
- Finnish
- Germantown
- Pleasant Lake
- Sykeston.
The closures will save NDDOT about $70,000 annually in operating costs, according to the report.
NDDOT Director Grant Levi announced the cuts at a recent Transportation Committee meeting, saying they were necessary in order to offset the state’s $69.2 million shortfall, the report states.
Falling prices for oil, which is a large part of the state’s economy, are in part to blame for the shortfall.
