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Riding out from Richmond to Goochland last weekend to check out the batteaux coming into Maiden’s Landing, I passed by a familiar landmark.

It was the rest stop on I-64 just east of Oilville, a landmark for local travelers since 1972.

Now for local travel back and forth from Richmond to Goochland, I rarely use the rest stops, but when coming back from longer trips the wife and I have frequently used them in the past.

That opportunity will pass sometime this month, as the rest stops on both east and west bound lanes of I-64 will close in a budget cutting move by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Hard times require hard choices but it’s always more painful when they hit close to home.

As I talked to several of the contract employees on the west- bound side it was clear they were resigned to being laid off in the near future but sad at the same time. Several are Goochland County residents, so there will be a direct effect on the local economy.

What remains to be seen is the cumulative effect of the closings, as several county officials remarked.

It figures that more travelers will get off at the Oilville and Rockville exits to take care of business, in more ways then one. And that should benefit the county when travelers make purchases at the local gas stations and convenience stores.

More sales tax revenue should come in, a welcome addition to the county’s revenue stream in the current downturn.

Who knows, maybe the enforced visit, however short, might entice some unknown future passer-by to consider the county as a place to live, work, or start up a new business.

On the other hand, travelers won’t have access to the promotional literature about tourism opportunities available at the soon to be closed rest stops. Will that mean fewer stops at state tourist attractions and fewer dollars spent?

We’ll see.

What is intriguing is the now forbidden option of privatizing the rest areas.

In the six-year improvement plan VDOT said it “will continue to pursue federal legislation changes necessary to allow future rest area commercialization, currently prohibited by law.”

Making it possible for entrepreneurs to operate the sites as profit making businesses sounds like a great idea to this writer.

Taxes generated could be dedicated to road building and maintenance and perhaps help ease the very budget crunch with which state transportation systems currently struggle. It’s an idea that ought to be vigorously pursued.