Truckers who are used to stopping at the I-70 rest area in Marshall, Illinois may have to keep driving unless the Illinois Department of Transportation decides to pay the bills.
IDOT Way Behind on Bills
IDOT has not paid an electricity bill since June. They are currently $6 billion behind on bills — and $10,000 worth of that debt is for two facilities in Marshall. One of the facilities is a transportation garage and the other is the I-70 rest area.
The city of Marshall has been footing the bill the to keep the rest area open, but they say that enough is enough. Mayor Camie Sanders has written a letter to IDOT, giving them two weeks to pay up before the city makes the tough decision to close down the rest area.
Shutting Down Rest Area Could Have Far-Reaching Negative Effects
Sanders noted that Marshall’s decision to shut down the rest area could have bigger than expected consequences: “It won’t send a good message. You pull into the state of Illinois and the first thing you see is the rest stop is closed down because they can’t pay their bills, it’s just a bad situation all the way around.” He also notes that workers could lose their jobs if IDOT doesn’t find a way to pay their bills
Sources:
WTHITV
Illinois Homepage