Regardless of whether a state government shutdown occurs Friday, one effect was already evident along Interstate 94 in Maple Grove and U.S. Hwy. 10 in Ramsey: The rest stops there were closed, the entrances barricaded to traffic.
The Minnesota State Department of Transportation was closing other rest areas in preparation for the possible shutdown.
Rob Williams, MnDOT's rest area program manager, said three areas, which are operated in partnership with other entities, will remain open in the event of a shutdown: the Brainerd Lakes Welcome Center, along Hwy. 371 just south of Brainerd/Baxter in Crow Wing County; the Park Rapids Area Welcome Center along Hwy. 71 in Hubbard County, and the Floodwood rest area along U.S. Hwy. 2 in St. Louis County.
- Jim Kern
