South Carolina’s second planned Buc-ee’s is showing visible progress, but the long wait described in our earlier Hardeeville timeline has not disappeared. Drone footage recorded on October 28, 2026, shows land-clearing work continuing at the future travel center site near Interstate 95’s Exit 8.
The update is encouraging for fans, but it needs an important label: this is site preparation, not evidence that the Buc-ee’s building is under vertical construction. Buc-ee’s still lists the South Carolina location for an estimated 2031 opening, and the company has not announced a groundbreaking or grand-opening date.
What changed since the last update
The latest aerial view confirms that work is continuing on the roughly 46-acre Hardee Station development west of I-95 and north of U.S. 278. The Buc-ee’s travel center is expected to anchor the property, with additional commercial parcels planned around it.
Land clearing began earlier in 2026, so the October footage is not a new groundbreaking. It does, however, provide fresh evidence that preparation has not stalled while the much larger transportation project around the site moves forward.
Hardeeville officials previously said vertical construction on the store could begin near the end of 2028. That remains a prospective timeline rather than a confirmed construction start, and there are several years of infrastructure work ahead before the travel center can open.
The highway project controls the schedule
The biggest piece is South Carolina’s I-95 widening and improvements project. The state is widening about 10 miles of interstate between the Savannah River and U.S. 278, replacing and improving bridges, and adding a new bridge over the river.
The $825 million project also includes work around Exit 8, where the future Buc-ee’s will draw traffic from I-95, U.S. 278 and Highway 17. The South Carolina Department of Transportation continues to target 2030 for completion.
That road schedule helps explain why visible land work does not translate into an imminent opening. Local officials have said the travel center needs the interstate and interchange improvements to handle the expected traffic safely.
Where the South Carolina project stands
The Hardeeville Buc-ee’s is officially planned, and site preparation is active. It is not open, and the store itself should not yet be described as under construction.
South Carolina’s only open Buc-ee’s remains the Florence travel center, which welcomed its first customers in May 2022. Hardeeville would become the state’s second location and would serve the southern Lowcountry near the Georgia border, Hilton Head Island and Savannah.
Buc-ee’s current public schedule places the opening in 2031 while warning that estimated dates can change. Until the company announces a groundbreaking or a firmer launch date, South Carolina travelers should view the clearing as steady early progress—not a sign that Beaver Nuggets are just around the corner.
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