Buc-ee’s West Memphis location to be delayed

West Memphis is still getting a Buc-ee’s but it will open at least a year later than planned. The travel center, slated to be built on a 34-acre swath just off Interstate 40 at Exit 28, will now open in June 2028, not later this year according to the company.

A reason for the delay has not been released. It had been reported that some infrastructure changes, including road work, have to be made before the center can open.

When the company announced it would build the travel center in West Memphis in the fall of 2024, it was slated to be the third largest in the country. It will employ up to 225 workers and will have at least 120 gas pumps on its sprawling campus.

Famed for its beaver mascot, clean restrooms, and massive food selections, Buc-ee’s has at least 62 travel centers in operation across the country, primarily in the South. The first travel center opened in Texas in 1982.

Once the travel center is opened in West Memphis, it is expected to create a financial boon for the local economy. It is projected to create billions of dollars in economic activity.

The city projects that it will collect $3.1 million in sales tax annually. Employees will make at least $19 per hour, and managers can make more than $100,000 per year.

To lure the franchise to Arkansas, the city of West Memphis reportedly ponied up a $5 million incentives package.

It won’t be the first Buc-ee’s location in Arkansas. A travel center is slated to open in Benton later this year.