Buc-ee’s pushes New Kent location’s opening

Buc-ee’s has pushed the expected opening of its New Kent County travel center to December 2031.

The Texas-based mega travel center chain previously expected to open the location, which would be its second in Virginia, at Exit 211 off Interstate 64 in 2027. Buc-ee’s Media Coordinator Crissy Gonzales on Monday confirmed the new opening date but did not directly answer a question asking for the reason behind the postponement.

News of the delay initially followed a Dec. 15 meeting of the New Kent County Planning Commission, where County Administrator Rodney Hathaway cited the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Exit 211 Interchange Improvement Project as a factor in the timing of the Buc-ee’s opening.

“I believe the completion date for the Exit 211 project is September 2029,” Hathaway told the planning commission. “We know that a big driver of this is Buc-ee’s. … They’re planning their opening date to align with VDOT‘s completion date.”

The VDOT project will create a diverging diamond interchange at Exit 211. According to a VDOT webpage, the project is in design, with an estimated start date of spring 2027 and estimated completion of fall 2029. Work on a bridge that is part of the project is underway, Hathaway said.

Also underway on the interstate segment is the roughly $716 million I-64 Gap Widening Project, which will widen 29 miles of roadway in New Kent and James City counties from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. The overall project, divided into three independent sections of I-64, has an expected completion date of summer 2029.

In June 2023, Buc-ee’s paid $6.5 million for 27.68 acres at the New Kent County site. Although Buc-ee’s initially planned to open the New Kent location by 2025, according to a 2023 S.L. Nusbaum Realty news release, its expected opening was later pushed to 2027 to coordinate with road construction projects.

As of 2023, plans for the property included about 74,000 square feet of retail space, 120 fueling positions, multiple electric vehicle chargers and parking for more than 650 vehicles, including bus and RV parking.

Buc-ee’s opened its first Virginia location at Exit 240 off Interstate 81 in Mount Crawford in June. The company is also seeking to build a travel center in Stafford County, but in October, the county’s planning commission voted to defer zoning-related requests from Buc-ee’s until Jan. 14, 2026.

Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s has 54 locations in the Lone Star State, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The travel centers are beloved by many for clean restrooms and delicacies including brisket and Beaver Nuggets.