There soon will be one less rest area along a heavily travelled interstate in the Midwest.
The Michigan Department of Transportation recently announced it will permanently close the Belleville Rest Area on westbound I-94 in Van Buren Township, effective June 22. Signs have been placed notifying regular visitors of the upcoming closure.
MDOT said the decision to close the facility follows a series of unexpected expenditures, and the need to strategically support the remaining 60 rest areas across the state. The proximity of existing public MDOT facilities and private establishments will ensure a reasonable level of service for drivers in this area, MDOT said in a statement.
Demolition of the rest area is planned for later this year, according to the egency.
Once the Belleville Rest Area is closed June 22, temporary barricades will be placed to block access to the parking lot. Michigan State Police may ticket and remove vehicles attempting access to the lot. The existing permanent intermittent truck weighing system will remain in place, with MSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVED) having continued access to the system.
MDOT said its existing rest area funding is limited, placing maintenance and operational costs of these facilities on region budgets. Following the demolition of the Belleville Rest Area (planned to occur at a later date), the maintenance funds typically committed to the operation of this facility will return to the MDOT Metro Region maintenance fund to support other facilities and operations across Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties, MDOT said.
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