Mebane’s leaders and Buc-ee’s CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III toss dirt as a part of the groundbreaking ceremony (Image via Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group).
Brisket, beef jerky, fudge and a whole lot of gasoline. Buc-ee’s, a Texas-based gas station chain famous for its ginormous travel centers, is bringing its first North Carolina location to 1425 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road in Mebane. The 74,000 square foot facility is expected to be completed by November of 2027.
Situated at the meeting point between I-40 and I-85 in Alamance County, local leaders said the new facility will bring more than 200 jobs and 120 fuel pumps to the Mebane community. And on Wednesday, June 10, leaders from across Alamance County, the North Carolina General Assembly, and Buc-ee’s representatives gathered to break ground on the travel center.
One of those leaders was Mebane Mayor Ed Hooks, who led the ceremony. He said becoming the home of the state’s first Buc-ee’s was too good of an opportunity for his town to pass up.
“This has been a long time coming,” he said. “From the initial [Technical Review Committee] meetings to approve it, the city council’s nine hour council meeting to approve it, it’s finally come to fruition.”
He said the goal is to quite literally put Mebane on the map for travelers.
“We’re hoping that they’ll do more than actually stop and get gas and get food,” he said. “We’re hoping that they’ll venture out downtown or go to local stores and [the] shopping center over there. We hope it’s an economic driver, and we think it’s going to be.”
A site plan for Mebane’s Buc-ee’s travel center (Image via Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group).
Hooks said Mebane’s commitment towards being accommodating to new businesses is part of the reason the town was chosen by Buc-ee’s.
“As you know, they got run out of Orange County and they came to Mebane. I just think it was the willingness of the staff to work with them, get ’em through the process. And then our dedication during the council. We listened to everybody and I think we made the right decision. I just think Mebane is a great, great pro-growth city.”
Hooks is referencing the fact that Orange County, and specifically the Efland area, was initially the front-runner for the location. Both Interstate 40 and NC Highway 87 pass through. However, the same is true of Alamance County. Orange County leaders pushed for more environmental protections and more electric vehicle charging stations during initial hearings. Two weeks later, Buc-ee’s pulled the project, citing the county as “just not a good fit” and calling commissioners “not receptive” to their business. Buc-ee’s CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III spoke at Wednesday’s groundbreaking and did not mince words on his feelings about the Orange County location falling apart.
“In the county’s infinite wisdom, they decided they didn’t want a Buc-ee’s in their county,” Aplin told the crowd. “So leadership of this community called us and said, ‘we do.’ And so we pivoted, and we went to work right away in Mebane working on getting a Buc-ee’s on this interstate.”
He said he believed Orange County had missed out on what could have been a lucrative opportunity.
“I’m always disappointed and I’m always quite honestly a little surprised when someone doesn’t want our product in their area and their community because of the jobs, because of the tax base,” he said. “I mean, let’s be honest, the 200, 250, 300 brand new high paying jobs in the community is substantial.”
Crystal Cavalier-Keck is a citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation in Burlington, and a leader of the advocacy group 7 Directions of Service. She helped lead a push against Buc-ee’s when it was proposed for Alamance County, and said after Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony that her concerns about the travel center remain.
“We don’t oppose commercial developments or large scale commercial development,” she said. “But what we do raise concerns about is habitat loss and the increase of storm water runoff, but also destroying cultural landscapes. And with it being so close to the trading path and in between a tributary that goes into the Haw River, we knew that it’s a potential to have a historic significance.”
Cavalier also shared her skepticism of the idea that Buc-ee’s will bring more customers to other Mebane businesses.
“I really don’t think people are just gonna come and explore the city of Mebane, especially the downtown when it’s like, what, three miles from the interstate?” she said. “They’re not gonna spend their money here and it’s just only gonna hurt Mebane.”
Self-described Buc-ee’s fan David Belk poses with a bumper sticker, which was just one of the many different types of free Buc-ee’s merchandise available to attendees (Image via Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group).
One other key consideration is the impact Buc-ee’s will have on the flow of traffic along its home stretch of I-40. NC-DOT Public Information Officer Roger Sockman provided more details on his department’s current project to update the exit and intersection, which he said will be completed the summer before the travel center’s projected November 2027 opening.
“Well, we realize there’s gonna be a lot more traffic at this intersection,” he said. “So as part of that planning we are building what’s called a diverging diamond interchange over Interstate 40 and I-85 here in Mebane. We do know that the construction will require some lane closures along this Trollingwood Hawfields Road exit during the week, Monday through Saturday.”
And while Buc-ee’s may still be more than a year away from completion, North Carolina State Senator Amy Galey provided the crowd with a ChatGPT-generated Shakespeare-inspired poem to preview what’s to come.
“Beaver nuggets, golden as the morn, shall tempt the wise and humble from the road,” the AI poem read. “Fresh brisket carved as if for princes born shall ease the burden of each weary load, yet sweeter still than fudge or candied treat or fountains flowing bright with endless cheer, the merchants bustling and the pilgrim’s feet shall fill the town with revenues each year.”
Featured image via Henry Taylor/Chapel Hill Media Group.
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