Some travelers are blasting an idea by the governor to close rest areas on I-84.
The proposal would leave just one stop on each side of the highway which winds about 100 miles through the state.
Drivers were left fuming after learning about talk of closing rest areas on I-84.
“Very important, especially when you’re riding a motorcycle too. You need to take a rest,” says Kurt Janniere from Boston, Massachusetts.
The governor’s idea is to close the eastbound rest area in Willington and one in Southington.
Those changes along with others would save more than a million dollars and are part of bigger plan.
During the State of the State, Governor Dannel Malloy presented his spending plan which calls for more than a half-billion dollar in cuts for the next fiscal year.
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“It won’t be easy, and it often won’t be politically popular. However, it is absolutely necessary if we want to create a more sustainable and enduring economy,” Malloy said during his address.
His plan would leave one rest area on I-84 westbound in Willington and one eastbound in Danbury.
Truck driver Keith Jenkins had pulled over at Willington eastbound, which is eyed for closure.
“It’s something especially truck drivers need, a place to rest, especially a safe haven,” says Jenkins.
He says these stops are crucial for drivers on sometimes unpredictable trips.
“We have hours we have to run and after a certain amount of hours we have to shut down. So it helps us a lot if we have somewhere to pull over like I did,” says Jenkins.
Right now the state runs 30 rest areas or service plazas with the bulk of them on I-95 and on Route 15.
