Buc-ee’s won’t open its Alamance County travel center for a few years, but anticipation is high and at least one wacky billboard reminds drivers it’s coming soon to an exit off Interstate 85/40.
Since the Mebane City Council approved the project for 1425 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road (Exit 152) in January 2024, there’s been a lot of planning for the thousands of cars that will be arriving at the destination travel center.
The city is still going through construction drawings, and building permits haven’t been awarded yet, Mebane spokeswoman Kelly Hunter said in December.
As the first Buc-ee’s in North Carolina, the travel center will transform the city’s western edge, which has stayed mostly rural, despite a 14.5% growth in Mebane’s population since 2020. The city has just over 20,000 people.
Most of the growth has been to the east, in Orange County, and on the southern border. The changes along Trollinger-Hawfields Road have been driven so far by millions of square feet in warehouses and distribution centers at the N.C. Commerce Park, including Walmart, Amazon, UPS and Lidl. Another 400,000 square feet is already cleared for industry next door to the Buc-ee’s site.