Buc-ee's is under contract to buy 34 acres in the Gold Rock area of northern Rocky Mount, setting the stage for what could become North Carolina's second location of the Texas-based travel center chain. The site sits near the interchange of Highway 4 and Interstate 95, and if the project clears the city's review process, it would bring a 74,000-square-foot store, 120 gas pumps and roughly 200 jobs to Nash County.
Letter Confirms Company's Interest
The proposal became public after Rocky Mount Mayor Pro-Tem Jabaris Walker confirmed he had received a letter from the company outlining its plans, according to WRAL. The letter states Buc-ee's is excited to be under contract to purchase the acreage in the southwestern quadrant of Highway 4, also known as Halifax Road, near the Interstate 95 interchange. The planned location would be the chain's second in North Carolina, joining one already under construction in Mebane, the station reports.
A neighborhood meeting on the proposal is scheduled for Thursday in Rocky Mount, and the company hopes to be heard by the city planning board for a rezoning request on Nov. 10, per the same WRAL report. The station notes that Buc-ee's is pursuing a proposed development of approximately 34 acres near the Interstate 95 and Halifax Road interchange and has already requested rezoning. As The Sanford Herald notes, the gold rock rezoning matter is expected to be taken up in early November.
Jobs, Wages and Tax Projections
City leaders told WRAL that the new Buc-ee's would be 74,000 square feet with 120 gas pumps, and the company is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to expand highway access around the site. Starting wages for Buc-ee's employees are projected at $18 to $21 per hour plus benefits, according to that report, and officials project the development would generate more than $30 million in sales taxes for North Carolina.
Rocky Mount has not disclosed a timeline for the rezoning process or a potential opening date for the travel center, according to the News & Observer. The newspaper also reports that Buc-ee's declined to comment on both the Rocky Mount proposal and the ongoing Alamance County construction, saying only that it had no comment at this time. The proposed development remains subject to the city's established review and approval process, the News & Observer notes.
Mebane Project Offers a Preview
Buc-ee's first North Carolina travel center, under construction at 1425 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road near exit 152 of Interstates 40 and 85 in Alamance County, gives a sense of what could be coming to Nash County. That Mebane site is expected to include 120 fuel pumps, more than 650 parking spaces and 24 electric-vehicle charging stations, according to the Alamance News. Buc-ee's is paying about $10 million of the state's $38.7 million road work budget tied to rebuilding the interchange, widening the bridge over the interstate and adding turn lanes to the ramps, per the News & Observer.
Reports have varied on when the Mebane location will actually open. The News & Observer says Buc-ee's previously indicated a late 2027 opening, while the company's website lists a 2028 launch; the Alamance News, meanwhile, has reported the project is currently targeted for late 2026 or early 2027. The Alamance County store is expected to generate roughly $1.8 million in annual sales-tax revenue and employ more than 200 full-time workers once open, figures that offer a rough comparison point for what Rocky Mount leaders are now weighing.
Why a Site Off I-95 Matters
For many North Carolina residents, the closest existing Buc-ee's is currently off I-95 in Florence, South Carolina, according to the News & Observer. The chain has built its brand on travel centers with more than 100 fuel pumps, food and notably clean bathrooms, and it bars tractor-trailer traffic at its locations nationwide, per the Alamance News. Company officials have said roughly 80% of Buc-ee's visitors, an estimated 5 million people a year, drive 50 miles or more just to reach a store.
That draw helps explain why a site in the Gold Rock area, centered on the I-95 corridor running from Maine to Florida, has drawn attention from city leaders and residents alike. Buc-ee's projects elsewhere have tended to spark both enthusiasm and pushback, with supporters pointing to economic growth and novelty tourism while critics raise concerns about traffic, environmental impact and competition for local businesses. Whether Rocky Mount's project advances now depends on the outcome of Thursday's neighborhood meeting and the rezoning request the company hopes to bring before the planning board next month.
