Arkansas welcomed its first Buc-ee’s in Benton on August 17, but road-trippers waiting for the state’s second travel center have more time to wait. Buc-ee’s currently lists West Memphis for 2029, later than the June 2028 estimate reported last winter. That revision matters to anyone planning a stop along Interstate 40.
The proposed store would sit near North Seventh Street, just across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee. Plans envision an enormous travel center serving drivers on one of the nation’s busiest east-west interstate corridors.
The opening estimate could change again before construction begins.
The timeline has changed more than once
When local officials first discussed the project in 2024, they hoped the store could open in 2026. Those expectations changed as planning progressed. In December 2025, local television reporting put the estimated opening in June 2028. Now Buc-ee’s lists 2029. The date is an estimate, not a guaranteed opening day. The company has not issued a firm groundbreaking date or explained the latest timing revision.
Road improvements and infrastructure coordination have been part of the development process. The latest company schedule does not specify which issue accounts for the newest delay. That uncertainty makes a construction announcement the next important milestone to watch.
What’s planned for the Arkansas location
The West Memphis project has been described as a roughly 74,000-square-foot travel center on approximately 34 acres. Earlier plans included about 120 fueling positions and as many as 225 jobs. Those are proposed project figures, rather than evidence that the store has been built or opened.
West Memphis would serve a different highway corridor from Benton, Arkansas’s first Buc-ee’s. Benton sits on Interstate 30 southwest of Little Rock, while West Memphis would serve Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border. Long-distance drivers could eventually have a convenient new place for barbecue, snacks, coffee, gifts and restrooms without leaving the main travel route.
Another Buc-ee’s project is underway in Gallaway, Tennessee, northeast of Memphis. That travel center remains on the company’s estimated-opening schedule for 2027. If those timelines hold, the Tennessee location could welcome Mid-South drivers well before West Memphis does.
Arkansas already has one open Buc-ee’s
The 74,000-square-foot Benton travel center brought the chain’s familiar food stations, gifts, restrooms and 120 fueling positions to Arkansas for the first time. That store gives residents a place to visit while development continues elsewhere in the state.
For West Memphis, the key takeaway is simple: the project remains on Buc-ee’s future-opening list, but the wait has grown. Drivers should treat 2029 as a planning target and watch for firm construction and grand-opening announcements before counting down to opening day.
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