Anyone driving Interstate 85 between Atlanta and Gainesville, GA, may want to take a rest stop while they can. Then again, maybe it’s best to just keep moving.
On Oct. 31, the Georgia Department of Transportation will close a rest stop along the Interstate near Suwanee, which is located about midway between Atlanta and Gainesville.
However, the reasons for that closure depend upon whom you ask.
In a news release, GDOT cited money and safety concerns as its main reasons for closing the stop. The rest area is located near where I-85 connects with Interstate 985 and GDOT experts said the merging traffic from both the rest stop and the two highways has created a safety hazard.
However, according to The Associated Press, the rest stop is closing over another type of hazard altogether.
The AP reported that the rest stop had become a haven for petty crime, prostitution and sexual trysts. The Suwanee Police Department and GDOT have carried out numerous undercover stings at the rest stop and have made several arrests for indecent exposure.
Capt. Clyde Byers of the Suwanee Police Department told The AP most of the people that were using the rest stop were locals.
“The majority of the people who congregated there had Gwinnett County license plates – these were not motorists who were just passing through,” he said. “If you live in a county, why would you spend your time hanging out at a rest area there?”
Byers said the rest stop generated enough complaints from truckers and families who used it to warrant it being shut down.
The closure leaves Georgia with only one rest area along I-85. That is located north on the highway, near State Route 51.