Cranes lift precast pieces of concrete in place at the new Buc-ee’s in Harrison County and work is proceeding to prepare the roads to handle the thousands of cars the travel center will bring to that area each day.
Harrison County committed $15 million to redesign and rebuild the interchange at Exit 24 of Interstate 10. It was the first time the Mississippi Legislature approved a tax increment finance bond for a county, said Rep. Richard Bennett.
The state shares a portion of the sales tax collected in cities, but not counties. The bond will be repaid using the extensive sales tax revenue expected to be generated by the Buc-ee’s and other development expected.
“It is going to be transformational for Harrison County,” Bennett said.
Already two commercial buildings are under construction across from Buc-ee’s and officials expect more businesses to follow at the Menge Avenue exit.
The two-lane bridge over I-10 was replaced with a five-lane span to move traffic, and the ramps and roads also were widened and improved.
Work on the bridge is nearing completion. The most recent information he has is the interchange project will be complete in early 2025, said Jeff Nadalo, spokesman for Buc-ee’s. Traffic may be allowed to cross the bridge before that, he said.
Mississipi’s first Buc-ee’s is scheduled to open the first quarter of 2025, he said, so by the end of March, barring any bad weather or other delays.
“The schedule calls for the bridge to be open prior to Buc-ee’s,” said Harrison County Supervisor Marlin Ladner. Work on Firetower Road probably will take a little longer than the bridge, he said.
He expects the infrastructure project to be tested right from the beginning.
“There’s going to be some people there opening day,” he said.
The anticipation and fascination with Buc-ee’s is more than he expected.
“There’s something about it,” he said.
It could be the size. The 74,000-square-foot store will be among the largest outside of the original location in Texas. It will have 120 fueling positions to pump gas and 24 EV charging stations. Stores typically have about 700 parking spaces to accommodate those who want to wander inside.
This is the only Buc-ee’s between Baytown, Texas 350 miles west, and Baldwin, Alabama to the east, and billboards along the way will tempt drivers with Beaver nuggets and promise the cleanest bathrooms.
Those who take a bathroom break generally leave with a few varieties of jerky, fresh pastries, homemade fudge and their famous brisket sandwiches. There aren’t tables to eat inside, and visitors sometimes tailgate.
Buc-ee’s also is a huge souvenir and seasonal store with their famous beaver mascot on “Harrison County” towels and T-shirts, toys, housewares and gifts.
Ladner said he hasn’t been to a Buc-ee’s yet, so he’s only heard of the appeal of the travel centers. He’s pretty much made up his mind, he said, to wait and make his first visit at Buc-ee’s at home in Harrison County.
Source Agencies
