Nebraska’s first Buc-ee’s has moved beyond the rumor stage and into a much more expensive phase. After the project cleared an earlier development hurdle, the Gretna City Council approved an agreement on July 29 that could provide as much as $32 million in tax-based reimbursements.
The proposed travel center would be built in the Nebraska Crossing Good Life District near Interstate 80 and Highway 31, southwest of Omaha. That location would put Buc-ee’s directly beside one of the country’s most important cross-country highways.
Plans call for a 74,000-square-foot store with 108 fueling positions, at least 20 electric-vehicle chargers and approximately 175 full-time jobs, with starting pay projected between $19 and $22 an hour. The entire development is estimated to cost more than $107.8 million and occupy 27.8 acres.
What the $32 million agreement means
The incentive package is not simply a $32 million check handed to Buc-ee’s before construction. It allows the company to seek reimbursement from tax revenue generated through the development: roughly $9 million through occupation tax reimbursement and about $23.1 million through sales tax reimbursement.
The money flows through Nebraska’s Good Life District program, a state incentive that cuts the state sales tax within designated districts in half, from 5.5% to 2.75%, so the difference can be recaptured and reinvested in tourism-driving development. Gretna officials have said plainly that the program is why Buc-ee’s looked at Nebraska at all.
The project is expected to generate approximately $35 million in annual taxable sales, although that remains a projection rather than guaranteed revenue.
The agreement also connects Buc-ee’s with infrastructure responsibilities around the property. Part of the incentive money is earmarked for rebuilding the nearby interchange with the Nebraska Department of Transportation, and a travel center of this size will require additional road, utility and traffic improvements before it can welcome customers.
When construction could begin
This is the least settled part of the project. In May, Gretna officials said Buc-ee’s hoped to break ground later in 2026, with construction wrapping up in late 2028. Some coverage in June suggested a groundbreaking could come as soon as this fall. Reporting after the July incentive vote indicated the official groundbreaking may not happen until next year.
In other words, the realistic window runs from late 2026 into 2027, with completion currently pointed at late 2028.
Those dates should be treated as projections. Buc-ee’s still must complete the property transaction, obtain permits and work through the infrastructure schedule. Large travel-center projects frequently move as road work, weather and contractor availability change.
That means Nebraska is getting a Buc-ee’s, but it is not opening next year. Even under the current plan, customers face a wait of more than two years.
Why Gretna was chosen
Gretna offers Buc-ee’s a valuable combination: direct I-80 access, proximity to Omaha and a tourism-focused development district willing to support a large project.
The site could draw Nebraska residents along with drivers crossing the state between Iowa, Colorado and destinations farther west. Buc-ee’s would also become a new anchor for the Nebraska Crossing area rather than an isolated rural gas stop.
The $32 million agreement represents one of the project’s biggest approvals yet. It does not mean construction can begin immediately, but it gives Nebraska’s first Buc-ee’s a clearer financial structure—and a credible path toward a 2028 opening.
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