Buc-ee’s supercenter in New Kent County pushes opening date to 2031
VENN
NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — It might take another couple of years before Central Virginians can visit the 75,000 square-foot Buc-ee's supercenter in New Kent County.
County Administrator Rodney Hathaway told the planning commission at a Dec. 15 meeting that the travel center might not open until at least 2029. That's because the company is planning to time its opening with a road construction project next door.
The Commonwealth's second Buc-ee's center is located at the Emmaus Church Road exit -- or exit 211 -- off of Interstate 64. It's right next to a road improvement project that's looking to reconstruct the I-64 interchange.
The project is expected to improve safety, capacity, traffic flow and pedestrian access within the interchange area, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
Earlier this year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a $20 million investment to fund the project. Hathaway said anticipated expenditures for the project are about $2.5 million for the next fiscal year.
Hathaway said the completion of the interchange improvement project is slated for September 2029, and that Buc-ee's is trying to align its opening date with VDOT's completion date. 8News previously reported that the center is expected to open in 2027.
"We'll see the kickoff of the improvements next year. That's going to be a lengthy project," he said.
But Buc-ee's said its opening date is going to be even later than fall 2029.
"Our projected grand opening date is set for December 2031, so there will be a bit of a wait. Currently, we do not have a scheduled groundbreaking date," said a company spokesperson in a Dec. 23 statement to 8News.
Besides a Buc-ee's travel center, AutoZone and Target distribution centers are among several projects in the works coming to the I-64 corridor. The corridor is expected to bring in $2.25 billion in investment and over 2,000 jobs for the county and the Commonwealth, per the governor's office.
The county announced its Buc-ee's location in early 2023. The center is expected to have 120 fueling positions, parking for over 650 cars, multiple electric vehicle chargers and space for buses and RVs.
