COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A report by state's auditor has found that the Ohio Department of Transportation could save more than $6 million by selling underused heavy equipment and vehicles and closing two rest stops in eastern Ohio.

Auditor Dave Yost on Thursday released details of his performance review of the transportation agency. He found that about 42 percent of Ohio's backhoes, excavators are used only 5 percent of the time.

Yost said that selling 178 underused and redundant heavy-equipment pieces would generate $3.1 million and avoid $885,000 in maintenance costs over 10 years.

The audit also found that nearly $500,000 could be saved annually by closing two rest areas in Muskingum and Guernsey counties that are close to commercial alternatives.

The state's transportation director says he's open to the auditor's ideas for savings.