State Closing Rest Stop Information Centers

The state is eliminating 34 jobs staffing 11 information centers along Ohio's interstate highways and one on at the Statehouse in Columbus. An Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman says the jobs are going away because travelers can now access the same information on their smart phones and other web devices. But tourism professionals are lamenting the move. They say the face-to-face interaction drives more tourism for the state. The travel centers, occupying small rooms at highway rest stops, have operated for decades. The travel-center workers are being offered open jobs elsewhere in the department.