NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. — A Buc-ee's travel center planned for New Kent County may be delayed by two years past original plans.
The Texas-based and Texas-sized travel center with an enthusiastic fan base had said in 2023 it planned to open a 74,000 square foot store at Exit 211 off I-64 in 2027. It would include 120 gas pumps, 557 parking spots, 24 EV charging stations and 10 bus/RV spots, according to a 2023 New Kent County press release.
However, at a Dec. 15 New Kenty County planning commission meeting, County Administrator Rodney Hathaway said Buc-ee's is waiting for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to complete a $2.5 million improvement project at exit 211.
Watch: Buc-ee's opens first Virginia store in Rockingham County
The VDOT project is scheduled to begin in 2027 with an anticipated completion date of September 2029, Hathaway said.
"We know that a big driver of this is Buc-ee's," Hathaway said. "It's not the only reason — we have a lot of economic development that's here and more to come on the south side of the exit. But [Buc-ee's is] planning their opening date to align with VDOT's completion date."
Hathaway added they are "looking for ways to push that a little forward," but it's ultimately dependent on funding that won't be available until 2027. You can watch the meeting on the county's YouTube page here (Buc-ee's conversation starts around 23 minutes.)
Virginia welcomed its first Buc-ee's location in summer 2025 in Rockingham County along I-81 near mile marker 240.
There are now more than Buc-ee's 50 locations, mostly in southern states: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Mississippi, and one in Colorado.
