Oklahoma’s long-running Buc-ee’s rumor may be getting more serious—though almost everything about it still traces to a single local outlet. Since drivers first learned about a possible site between Yukon and El Reno, reports have described state and local officials assembling millions of dollars for the road improvements the project would require.
Now Buc-ee’s itself may be willing to help close the funding gap.
The rumored location is near Interstate 40 and Cimarron Road in far western Oklahoma City, just north of Clarence E. Page Airport. The site would place Buc-ee’s between Yukon and El Reno on one of Oklahoma’s busiest cross-state travel corridors.
The interchange is not currently designed for Buc-ee’s-sized traffic. Cimarron Road crosses the interstate on a two-lane bridge with basic on- and off-ramps and stop signs.
Building a massive travel center there would require the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to reconstruct or substantially expand the interchange.
Early discussions were exploratory, and officials have been careful to say so. Kenny Tsoodle, CEO of the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, has confirmed preliminary exploratory discussions with the company while stressing that no decisions have been made. Buc-ee’s declined to comment when local outlets asked.
The reported financial developments are what make the possibility harder to dismiss—with a caveat about where they come from.
OKCTalk reported that ODOT has pledged $15 million toward the necessary infrastructure and that Oklahoma City is expected to provide another $10 million. Those commitments reportedly left an estimated $8 million funding gap, and Buc-ee’s has now offered to contribute roughly $2 million to $3 million, according to the same report.
None of those figures has been confirmed by ODOT, the city or Buc-ee’s, and no other outlet has independently verified them. OKCTalk broke the original Cimarron Road story in February, and mainstream coverage has generally followed rather than confirmed its reporting.
If accurate, the numbers would still leave roughly $5 million to $6 million unfunded, so the interchange package would not be complete. But a direct contribution from Buc-ee’s would be the clearest sign yet that the company is genuinely interested in the location rather than casually studying Oklahoma.
Important questions remain.
Buc-ee’s has not publicly announced the store, released a site plan or provided an opening date. Local government would still need to finalize the infrastructure package, approve development plans and determine how to fund the remaining road costs.
Oklahoma currently has no Buc-ee’s locations, despite bordering Texas. The nearest stores are in Missouri and, as of August 17, 2026, in Benton, Arkansas—the chain’s 58th location and its first in that state. A Kansas City, Kansas, store is slated for 2027. Oklahoma has frequently been described as an obvious expansion target because of its highway traffic and proximity to Buc-ee’s home market.
The latest twist does not make the Oklahoma store official. It does suggest the project has moved from internet speculation toward a real public-private development negotiation—if the reported numbers hold up.
If officials solve the final funding gap, Oklahoma’s long wait for Buc-ee’s could finally have an ending.
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