Plans filed with Franklin County this week point to a highway-scale truck stop and rebuilt Burger King coming to a vacant parcel at the Villa Ridge exit of Interstate 44. The project would replace a convenience store and restaurant that were heavily damaged by an EF-2 tornado on March 14, 2025, and it represents one of the larger commercial developments proposed along this stretch of I-44 in recent years.
Plans and features
County documents detail a Rocket Travel Center paired with a standalone Burger King on a single parcel. Drawings for the travel center show amenities geared toward long-haul drivers along with an off-leash dog area, suggesting the site is being built to compete with other major highway stops rather than just serving local traffic. Those filings were obtained and reviewed by The Missourian, which first reported the plans.
Construction activity suggests a fast track
A construction listing on PlanHub shows a "Service Station/Car Wash" project in Villa Ridge described as "ground up construction of Truck stop C store" that is currently in general contractor and subcontractor bidding. The posting sets a bid deadline of June 22, 2026, and outlines a lengthy roster of required trades, from concrete and masonry to HVAC and electrical, indicating that pre-construction work is already underway. PlanHub
Site history and location
The planned store site is mapped just southeast of the intersection of Highway 100 and Highway AT, right off I-44. It sits along the same corridor that previously housed the Burger King at 109 Highway AT before the March 2025 storm. That EF-2 tornado partially destroyed the restaurant and an adjacent gas station and led to a dramatic rescue of 13 people who had taken shelter in the restaurant bathroom, according to Fox Weather. Online map listings, including MapQuest, show the former Burger King address as 109 Highway AT.
What comes next
Because the site drawings were obtained through a Sunshine Law request, the filings must still move through Franklin County review and permitting before any official ground-breaking, according to The Missourian. Developers have not released a formal construction timeline, but the June 22, 2026 bid date suggests contractors could begin mobilizing once permits and utility hookups are signed off, based on the schedule outlined on PlanHub.
