Kentucky’s next Buc-ee’s is still years away, but the infrastructure work holding it back is finally becoming visible around Oak Grove. A previous update on the Oak Grove Buc-ee’s delay explained why the project slipped to 2029; the latest development is that major road work around the future site is now underway.
The store is planned near Interstate 24 at Exit 89 and Pembroke-Oak Grove Road, close to Fort Campbell and the Tennessee state line. The site itself has not reached a Buc-ee’s groundbreaking, but the surrounding transportation projects needed to handle future traffic have started moving.
Road reconstruction around the site is beginning
Oak Grove Public Works Director Brian Ahart told the City Council in August that developers were beginning the process of reconstructing Kentucky 115, also known as Pembroke-Oak Grove Road, and relocating part of Carneal Lane to make room for the future travel center.
Local outlet Christian County Now reported that the broader area is already being reworked with a second bridge, multiple roundabouts, changes to interstate ramps and flood-mitigation improvements.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has also been working on the KY 115 bridge over I-24 near the development. State construction records show that work began in February 2026.
Those projects help explain why the Buc-ee’s timeline moved so dramatically. A store of this size cannot simply open beside an interchange that is not ready for the additional traffic.
Utilities are another major piece of the delay
Oak Grove is also expanding its water system for the development. Plans include a new 500,000-gallon elevated water tank and thousands of feet of new water line.
City officials have said the water upgrades are intended not only for Buc-ee’s but also to improve pressure and fire protection for existing residents and future growth.
The travel center itself is expected to measure about 74,000 square feet and create roughly 200 jobs. Buc-ee’s currently lists Oak Grove for an estimated 2029 opening, several years later than the earliest projections.
No groundbreaking date for the store has been announced, so the 2029 target should still be treated as an estimate rather than a guaranteed opening date.
Still, the situation is different from a stalled project with nothing happening. Bridges are being built, roads are being redesigned and utility work is moving forward around the site.
That progress is easy to miss because the Buc-ee’s building is not the part motorists can see going up yet. But the bridge, road and water projects are prerequisites for the development, and each one removes a piece of the infrastructure bottleneck that pushed the opening back.
For Kentucky Buc-ee’s fans, that may be the most encouraging update in months: the store itself has not started rising yet, but the infrastructure it needs is finally taking shape.
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