MNDOT’s Floodwood Rest Area To Close Permanently April 5

An ownership transfer will result in the permanent closure of an area rest stop.  The Minnesota Department of Transportation has transferred the ownership of the Floodwood area rest stop along Highway 2 to the City of Floodwood; as such, that facility will close to the public as of Monday, April 6.

According to details released by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the building was opened in the mid-1990's to replace a more-rustic wayside rest area that was locates near the East Savanna River; that facility needed to be closed due to consistent flooding in the area. To compensate, MNDOT upgraded the Highway 2 rest area building and created a parking lot for visitors to use.

Since the mid-1990's, that building has become difficult for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to maintain - due in part to the fact that it wasn't originally designed to be a rest area building.  During a budget-analysis it was determined that operational costs for maintaining the building weren't cost effective when compared to the minimal usage of the facility.

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After that budget decision was made, the Minnesota Department of Transportation entered into a partnership with the City of Floodwood; a joint decision was made to not operate the facility any more.  To accommodate the closing, the State of Minnesota is transferring ownership of the area to the City of Floodwood.  The city has plans to develop the building and parking area into a future asset for the community as a whole.

Once closed, the general public will find that the building will be padlocked.  Additionally, barricades will be placed on the lot as of April 5.

To get more information about the rest stops operated by MNDOT in the area, or other transportation news, click here.