State Wants Ads at Rest Stops

Dale City, Va. –– The Virginia Department of Transportation is about to enter the advertising business.

A plan to place advertisements at the state’s 42 highway rest stops and welcome centers was announced Monday by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell.

The plan comes after McDonnell last year reopened a string of 33 rest stops closed as a cost-saving measure under the previous governor, Timothy M. Kaine.

Touted as one of the first plans of its kind the country, the advertising program would allow private companies to place signs on the grounds of the rest stops, near vending machines, restrooms, and on highways on the approach to the rest areas.

The governor says 800 million people each year use the state’s highway system providing advertiser’s ample opportunity to extend their marketing reach.

“In these fiscally challenging times, we have to look for innovative new solutions for maintaining and operating the Commonwealth’s rest area and welcome center facilities. These facilities serve a critical role in providing a safe place for travelers to rest and providing information to tourists, businesses, and commuters on the many attractions and services the Commonwealth has to offer,” said McDonnell is a press release.

The idea to place advertising at state rest stops was born last July, when McDonnell tasked state employees to come up with long term strategies to offset the cost of operating the rest stops.

Because the rest stops on Virginia’s highways are located on federally-owned roads, not state-owned toll roads, the state cannot privatize their rest stops as Maryland and Delaware have done. To do so would require a change in federal law.