Rest areas close; area store sales up

TROUTVILLE, Va. (AP) - The closing of 18 Virginia rest areas isn't bad news for all. Some businesses say they're seeing an increase in traffic.

Brandon Wheeling is a clerk at the Apple Market off Interstate 81 in Botetourt County. He says since an I-81 rest area closed in Troutville eight miles to the north, his convenience store has seen as much as a 10 percent increase in business.

The Virginia Department of Transportation closed 18 rest areas last week as part of a plan to cut nearly $9 million in expenses from a strained state budget.

Seven rest stops along I-81, four on I-95, four on I-85, two on I-64, and one on I-66 were closed. The Welcome Center on I-66 in Manassas will shut down in mid-September.

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Information from: WSET-TV, http://www.wset.com/