A bomb scare closed the rest area near the Vernita Bridge in northern Benton County for several hours Saturday.

A visitor to the rest area on Highway 24 found what looked like a pipe bomb in the bathroom around 10 a.m., according to information from the Washington State Patrol.

The Washington Department of Transportation shut down the area while a bomb squad from the state patrol destroyed the suspected bomb. The rest area was reopened just before 1:30 p.m.

It was not immediately known whether the device actually was a bomb, the state patrol said.