Syracuse, NY -- Drivers needing a bathroom break on Interstate 81 will have to hold it a little while longer. New York said it is temporarily closing the I- 81 south rest area in Brewerton/Hastings Nov. 1 to save money. The 29-year-old rest stop located on I-81 south between exits 31 and 32 in Oswego County is just north of...
Syracuse, NY -- Drivers needing a bathroom break on Interstate 81 will have to hold it a little while longer.
New York said it is temporarily closing the I- 81 south rest area in Brewerton/Hastings Nov. 1 to save money.
The 29-year-old rest stop located on I-81 south between exits 31 and 32 in Oswego County is just north of Syracuse.
The closest rest areas are 46 miles north in Watertown, and 65 miles south in Whitney Point. The nearest commercial areas are 10 miles away in Syracuse, and travel amenities are available two miles away in Brewerton.
The rest area is one of six stops to be closed as part of an effort to cut the state Department of Transportation budget by $500,000 this fiscal year and $1 million in subsequent years.
“The nation and New York State are in the midst of a profound economic crisis,” said Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee. “In response to this financial uncertainty, we are temporarily closing six of our oldest, smallest and least-efficient rest areas to provide the savings called for in the state budget.”
The remaining 32 facilities on Interstates across the state will remain open, he said.