Source:
WSLS 10Several rest stops around Virginia will close this week. The Virginia Department of Transportation will shut down 19 rest areas across Virginia, and 18 of those will close overnight Monday.
The goal is to help offset a $2.6 billion state budget shortfall.
. . .
The Department of Transportation wants to privatize rest areas to keep them open. That would take a change in federal law. We talked with department spokesman, Jeff Caldwell, from Richmond.
“We’ve been working with our congressional delegation and the Governor’s office has been communicating directly with them to try and get some sort of law changed. We have no idea if or how long that might take,” Caldwell said.
“Even if we got a law change immediately in the next couple of days or next few weeks, it would still take us time to pursue contracts,” he added.
Read more:
http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/dept._of_transportation_wants_to_privatize_rest_areas/41844/
Not sure where the profit motive would be in privatization unless they started to charge a fee to use highway rest stops.