North Carolina's first Buc-ee's breaks ground in Mebane
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Construction has begun on North Carolina's first Buc-ee's travel center, a massive gas station and convenience store slated to open in Mebane in 2027.
Why it matters: The Texas gas station chain has built a devoted following since the 1980s, thanks to its beaver mascot merch, clean bathrooms and endless array of snacks.
Zoom in: The super-sized travel center is being built just west of the Triangle, off Exit 152 from interstates 40 and 85.
- It will open in November 2027, according to Buc-ee's CEO Arch Aplin III, who keeps mispronouncing it "mee-BAYNE." (It's "meh-bin.")
By the numbers: Plans call for 120 spots for cars to refuel and 20-plus electric vehicle charging spaces.
- The store itself will be 74,440 square feet. That's roughly twice the size of a typical U.S. grocery store (35,800 square feet, per Capital One).
Catch up quick: Buc-ee's won approval two years ago to build in the Alamance County city after neighboring Orange County rejected a prior effort 6 miles down the highway.
What they're saying: Aplin sarcastically brought up Orange County's "infinite wisdom" in rejecting the project when he spoke at Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony.
- The other elected leaders who spoke avoided mentioning that debacle.
- They instead emphasized the 200 full-time jobs planned, and the sales and property taxes Buc-ee's and its customers are expected to generate.
- State Sen. Amy Galey (R-Alamance) read a ChatGPT-written sonnet that mentioned "Beaver Nuggets, golden as the morn."
Inside the tent: There were stuffed beaver keychains and bags of snacks for the taking.
- The final flavor of jerky left after an hour: Bohemian Garlic.
Follow the money: Significant roadwork is underway at the exit.
- The News & Observer reports that Buc-ee's is contributing $10 million toward the state Department of Transportation's $38.7 million effort to add traffic lanes and signals to Trollingwood Hawfields Road.
- Retired Secretary of Transportation Joey Hopkins previously described the timing to the Triangle Business Journal as fortuitous, saying the roadwork had been planned for years.
Flashback: Lawmakers helped push the roadwork along, retiring N.C. Rep. Stephen Ross (R-Alamance) said Wednesday.
- Ross said he met with DOT officials soon after being approached by Buc-ee's three years ago.
- "I showed them the intersection and I said, 'What do you think?' And they looked at it and they said, 'That is going to be quite a project.' And I said, 'Can we make it work?'" Ross said.
- Ross thanked Galey and N.C. Rep. Dennis Riddell (R-Alamance), saying "we could not have pulled that much money together without the three of us working on that."
What's next: Gas station construction will continue into late 2027.
Editor's note: The story has been corrected to note the exit is 152 (not 154).