Garden State may force drivers to go in the woods

TRENTON, N.J. — The state of New Jersey, in an effort to save $270,000, might close down two rest areas on I-80 at the Pennsylvania border and on I-295 at the Delaware border.

The only bright side is that parking areas will be left open for truckers.

Where tired drivers would relieve themselves, however, is still open to debate.

The cash-strapped state just doesn’t have the money to sustain the facilities, Jersey transportation commissioner James Simpson told a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee last week.

Simpson was presenting the transportation department’s $1.24 billion budget for the next fiscal year.

The state legislature is expected to hold hearings on the proposal, and the budget will be in place by July 1.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the spots slated for closure are on Jersey’s non-toll roads and a cynical person could possibly see this move as an effort to drive people on to the pay-per-use highways.