Report: Close Rest Areas – Muskingum-Guernsey Counties

A report by the State of Ohio Auditor has found that the Ohio Department of Transportation could save more than six million dollars by closing rest stops in Muskingum and Guernsey Counties and selling underused heavy equipment and vehicles.  Auditor Dave Yost released details of his performance review of the transportation agency.  He found that about 42 percent of Ohio’s backhoes, excavators are used only 5 percent of the time.  Yost said that selling 178 underused and redudent heavy-equipment pieces would generate 3.1 million dollars and avoid 885-thousand dollars in maintenance costs over 10 years.  The audit also found that nearly 500-thousand dollars would be saved annually by closing two rest areas in Muskingum and Guernsey Counties that are close to commercial alternatives.  The State’s transportation director says he’s open to the Auditor’s ideas for saving.