New Buc-ee’s opens in Denton along Interstate-35
Buc-ee’s officially opened Monday in Denton after two years of construction. The new 55,000-square-foot store is located at 2800 S. Interstate 35E and features a full kitchen, 122 fueling pumps and a car wash. The Denton location joins more than two dozen stores throughout Texas, including the closest one on I-35W in Fort Worth.
On Oct. 26, the store had a three-hour event that involved giving free food and drinks to future customers, but no items were available for purchase. The new location hired nearly 200 employees, with wages advertised to be $13 an hour and more positions to be filled.
Marketing junior Kenyah Abdul-Aleem said he is excited there is a Buc-ee’s in Denton. Since his first visit to one of the travel centers, he said he has been impressed with what they had to offer, especially their clean restrooms and exclusive products.
“The closest Buc-ee’s is in Fort Worth, so I’m glad it will be one closer to my apartment,” Aleem said. “I remember the first time I went into Buc-ee’s. I was shocked by the size and variety of the store. It’s like the Wal-Mart of convenience stores.”
In 2015 Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin sat with community members who expressed concern that Buc-ee’s would bring further highway congestion and would lower their home values. As a result, Aplin agreed to contribute $2 million for road improvements on I-35E so as the Buc-ee’s was being built, I-35E was being expanded.
“When complete, lane capacity at the Loop 288 intersection of I-35E will be doubled,” said Mark Nelson, director of transportation for the City of Denton in a press release from 2017. “The project will also expand I-35E to three lanes in each direction, add a south to north U-turn at Mayhill Road and grade separation at Brinker Road, providing additional options for local traffic in the area.”
The construction along I-35E has created congestion and an influx of car accidents. While this problem is temporary and aims to solve these issues, the construction makes it difficult for people to travel.
“The construction has made it extremely hard to get home, especially [from] noon to 7 p.m.,” marketing student Zachary Kirkland said. “It’s easier to go out of the way to get to your destination because you’re going to be delayed on the highway. Especially if someone has a wreck, there’s no way of getting home.”
Initially the gas station was waiting for the construction to end before opening, but the expansion project was set back approximately six months. Denton traffic engineer Pritam Deshmukh told WFAA that Buc-ee’s opening is approximately seven months before the highway construction will be complete.
Featured Image: A pile of construction supplies sits near the front of the Buc-ee’s in Denton. Their first location in Denton opened on Monday. Mallory Cammarata
“Buc-ees” is an environmental affront, an eyesore, and the height of worship of the oil and gas industry which has grasped Denton, by the throat. Wages of $13 an hour are not a living wage anywhere in Texas. Shame on us for having been tricked into “project Cartoon” by Greg Johnson and the other fools who were on the Denton city council at the time this abomination was approved. 128 gas pumps, yeah, great.
So I take it you don’t drive a car out of deep conviction? Or, maybe you can’t afford one, so you turned a necessity into a virtue.
Regardless of what we think of Buc-ee’s, their wages are $13-15. Walmart starts at $9 and goes up to ten after a year of employment. It should’ve been built on I-35 W, near the Rayzor ranch, though. I’m gonna go in for cheap gas and cigs, great beef jerky and other cold cuts as well as a large variety of tasty fudge. It’s a kind of a store that Texas and Southern public loves.
I will never go there, nor will anyone I know. The lot’s in front of Buc’ees are tax abated just like Buc’ees—for 20 years with no limit to how much money Denton’s tax payers are giving them. The current mayor, Chris Watts was one of the city council who voted for this completely irresponsible plan, that was drawn up secretly and rushed through on a vote taken 12/1/16. No one realized that “project Cartoon” would devastate a riparian area, pollute our air and water, cause countless serious accidents, disrupt traffic for years, and cost the tax payers of Denton untold millions of dollars. How are your roads? Like the sidewalks? How about mental health services for the homeless? Need I paint a bigger uglier picture? Few of those jobs will be anything above $13 an hour, and most of them will be part time with NO benefits. We were screwed by our city council, all but one of which of voted for this were either voted out, subject to recalls, or moved away. I wonder why?
Correction: December 1, 2015