AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – Commuters in the Amarillo area in the first week of October may have noticed a change to the southeast corner of East I-40 and Airport Boulevard: After more than a year and a half of organization and procedural bumps in the road, the upcoming Amarillo Buc-ee’s location was able to officially begin construction.

The project has been long-awaited by the Amarillo community and closely monitored by local brand enthusiasts, after the Buc-ee’s location was approved in February 2022 but stalled due to legal trouble concerning the property.

As previously reported on MyHighPlains.com, the Amarillo City Council unanimously approved an economic development agreement with the Buc-ee’s Travel Center Chain in February 2022, establishing the construction of a 53,000-square-foot travel center on the southeast corner of the E I-40 and Airport Blvd with an estimated cost of $30 million.

However, the project encountered legal issues while closing on the property due to a land dispute with the owners of land neighboring the proposed site in the agreement, including with Attebury Farm LLC, Speedco Inc., and Roserock Holdings LLC over a tract of land that ran through the site. The Buc-ee’s Ltd. legal team confirmed in October 2022 that closing on the property had been completed, and that construction was set to begin sometime in 2023.

Recently, the Amarillo City Council also discussed rezoning the area around the upcoming Buc-ee’s location from an Agricultural District to a Heavy Commercial District.

As previously reported on MyHighPlains.com, Buc-ee’s is expected to hire 150 full-time employees starting at $15 per hour.