The construction of Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s Travel Center off Interstate 81 in Rockingham County is on schedule for its projected opening in 2025 on Independence Day, an economic development official confirmed to AFP on Monday.
The location will be situated off exit 240 on I-81 in Mount Crawford, just south of Harrisonburg.
The building is roughly 65 to 70 percent done with mostly inside finishing left to complete, Casey Armstrong, the assistant county administrator, told AFP after consulting with construction and inspections crews earlier today.
“The pavement and exterior elements are also on schedule and nearing completion,” Armstrong told AFP. “As of right now, the target opening is still July 4th.”
The county GIS YouTube page has shown the ongoing progress through drone videos from pre-construction to a now nearly complete exterior with signature tan stars on its brick facade and steel framing erected for its 100-plus planned fueling stations.
The most recent video posted to the site on Dec. 23 gives an aerial view of progress at the site. The addition of the beaver mascot on the exterior is among the finishing touches to be completed before the location is opened to the public in the summer.
The last update on the project to the county’s Facebook page was in October.
A ground breaking for the new travel center was held on Jan. 30, 2024.
The travel center is expected to bring more than 200 full-time jobs to the county and will be 74,000 square feet with 120 fueling stations and 24 EV charging stations.
Buc-ee’s expansion in Virginia was announced in March 2023.
A similar sized location is planned to open in 2027 in New Kent County, at exit 211 off Interstate 64, east of Richmond. New Kent County has asked the state for $44 million in Smart Scale funding to expand the exit for the future Buc-ee’s travel center. The center has also been delayed by an I-64 widening project, according to multiple reports.
In addition to breaking ground in Virginia, Buc-ee’s also began work on its first locations in both Mississippi and Ohio earlier this year. Buc-ee’s also broke ground on the third location in Tennessee in 2024.
Its newest location opened Dec. 2 in Amarillo, Texas.
Buc-ee’s operates 51 stores across Texas and the South. Since beginning its multi-state expansion in 2019, Buc-ee’s has opened travel centers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Missouri and Tennessee.
Video: Buc-ee’s Rockingham County, Dec. 23 update
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Crystal Graham
