Buc-ee's

[Bellaboo]

I-40 anywhere within 8 miles West of the interchange with the Kilpatrick.

Perfect place would be the Cimarron Rd exit, right there where OKC is annexing land or on the North side of I-40.

[Jersey Boss]

...

[PhiAlpha]

Calling my shot. I-35 Ladd Rd exit. West of I-35, North of Ladd Rd.

[jn1780]

What if they built it on Eastern north of 40/35? That let's them tap into two interstates.

Similar reasoning makes me think it won't be all the way in Norman or Yukon. They may want to limit a potential detour for diehard customers to less than 30 minutes.

Hear me out: Buc-ee's Crossroads. They can really play into that with marketing and still tap into 40 and 35 traffic.

[PhiAlpha]

What if they built it on Eastern north of 40/35? That let's them tap into two interstates.

Similar reasoning makes me think it won't be all the way in Norman or Yukon. They may want to limit a potential detour for diehard customers to less than 30 minutes.

Hear me out: Buc-ee's Crossroads. They can really play into that with marketing and still tap into 40 and 35 traffic.

Makes sense but based on a lot of their other location decisions I think they’d be more likely to add a second location than split the difference…but what do I know? Crossroads does sound like a good idea. Hey we have a place called Crossroads that’s dying for higher and better use lol.

[Brett]

As a pessimist, my first reaction to the news was that it is a grand hoax and Okies are still gullible to believe in it.

[acumpton]

Agreed. Somewhere on the way from Purcell to Goldsby. They better have a good exit ramp. That one in Denton is always backed up for miles.

I agree. We went to the Madisonville location last week and it was so much smoother than going to the one in Denton. It was a real quick in and out.

[ChrisHayes]

I still like the north side of 40 on Frisco Road for a Buccees. That, and a Home Depot

[rte66man]

There are eight! Buc-ees in a diamond-shaped area that includes Angleton, Brazoria, Freeport, and Lake Jackson. I'm assuming that is the area where they started

[MagzOK]

I could see them building along the new Access Oklahoma turnpikes in the metro once built. Maybe I-40 and Kickapoo, or SW corner of I-35 and the east-west connector turnpike. I can't help but think how big of a footprint these Buccee's properties are. But alas, it's interesting to look around the metro and the current traffic count maps to try and determine where they might look:

https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/...KC%20Metro.pdf

I'm sure a lot of the inflated numbers are commuters, but some of those counts are really high especially through Moore and Norman, LHP, I40 through the heart of the city, and 35 anywhere from about the Lake Aluma area north up through Edmond. But if you look at the edge of the metro maps of 35 and 40, traffic counts in and out of the metro are anywhere between 55-60K vehicles per day much of which could be considered through traffic.

NE corner of I35 and N 27th St in Moore, perhaps along that eastern service road stretch looks big enough. They could really compete with the new QT and eExpress there.

Do they look at thru traffic, commuter traffic, maybe both? There are counts on 35 there north of I240 at 125K vehicles, by far the highest in the metro.

I remember when they built the one in Melissa, TX. There literally was nothing out there at all and TxDOT was in the middle of widening 75 though there.

[Mesta Parker]

There are eight! Buc-ees in a diamond-shaped area that includes Angleton, Brazoria, Freeport, and Lake Jackson. I'm assuming that is the area where they started

Yes, the original Buc-ees was in Lake Jackson.

[kukblue1]

Anything being done with that land at council and i-40. That land just south of I-40. That is a pretty messed up area though. Sw 15th right off of 244. Close to 244/40 interchange. There are a bunch of places they could build something

[G.Walker]

^ I was thinking that as well. That land on the other side of I-40 from the outlet mall would be an ideal location. Large enough area to build, no competing large gas stations in the immediate area. Large traffic counts.

[davidreavis]

^ I was thinking that as well. That land on the other side of I-40 from the outlet mall would be an ideal location. Large enough area to build, no competing large gas stations in the immediate area. Large traffic counts.

I think the fact that it'll be the only gas station in the area wouldn't be too much of a difference, after all who is going to buc-ee's just for gas? Not me, that's for sure

[kukblue1]

I think the fact that it'll be the only gas station in the area wouldn't be too much of a difference, after all who is going to buc-ee's just for gas? Not me, that's for sure

There is a giant Oncue just north of I-40 plus all the big gas stations on Morgan Road 2 miles away but like you said it's more a destination. You would get a good mix of locals and travelers being there. You are close enough to i-44 to get people drive a bit out of the way. Close enough to turnpike. However I would think they will want to be closer to I-35?

[TornadoKegan]

What if they built it on Eastern north of 40/35? That let's them tap into two interstates.

Similar reasoning makes me think it won't be all the way in Norman or Yukon. They may want to limit a potential detour for diehard customers to less than 30 minutes.

Hear me out: Buc-ee's Crossroads. They can really play into that with marketing and still tap into 40 and 35 traffic.

I think it was already. Mentioned but the Eastern location isn't going to work

[FighttheGoodFight]

I want to see those final numbers on the social media post that Pete did. Looks like 5.2k likes, 2.4k comments and 4.2k shares on Facebook about the Buc-ee's post. People love beaver nuggets

[Pete]

I want to see those final numbers on the social media post that Pete did. Looks like 5.2k likes, 2.4k comments and 4.2k shares on Facebook about the Buc-ee's post. People love beaver nuggets

Got more traction than my Olympics posts!

Not really a fair comparison, but interesting nonetheless.

[LakeEffect]

I don't think AADT plays fully into their analysis, but I'm sure it's important. My guess is that they'll target I-35 south of I-40 in OKC metro, looking at ODOT's numbers... Unfortunately, they don't have any traffic counts on I-44 where it's OTA-operated...

https://okdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/V...42de11b250ef1b

The AADT for I-44 in Springfield, MO where its new Buc-ee's is located is around 44,000 total (east and westbound). That Buc-ee's looked insanely busy when we drove by twice this past weekend. It also is strategically located just east of the I-44 interchange with US-65, which goes south to Branson... https://www.modot.org/traffic-volume-maps

[scottk]

Unfortunately, they don't have any traffic counts on I-44 where it's OTA-operated...

Here you go:

https://oklahoma.gov/ota/investor-re...y-traffic.html

[Dob Hooligan]

These dudes ain't rubes. They have more advanced research that any of us can possibly imagine.

[Zorba]

It's a dang gas station. I will never understand the fascination. I don't want to go inside either. It's just more time taken with crap i don't need. Get gas at the pump, leave. Mabye use the ATM if its a no sur-charage.

I will never understand the need for 50 pumps and 1/2 a walmart at a gas station.

If you are in the cult, man you've bought in and you'll buy the beaver gear/candy/etc. For those of us on the oustide.....just don't get it.

The bathrooms are great. Really I just enjoy the ridiculousness of it on a long road trip, but I generally only ever stop once on the way to where ever I am going. They do have really good popcorn and cherry sours, though. I have a T-Shirt, again, because I enjoy the ridiculousness of it. If we had one locally, I would literally never go to it.

Really I like the one in Ennis, TX because it is about half way to Galveston and I like the one in Leed, AL because when I am pulling my boat to the lake in Alabama I need gas by then and it always has the cheapest ethanol free gas around to fill up the boat. I get in and get out pretty quick though.

I personally wish they'd build one on the East of Little Rock and/or West Memphis. All of the options to stop in Arkansas are terrible and nasty.

[Zorba]

My guess is the one in Springfield was built to grab Branson and Bass Pro tourists who of course travel to the area by car, and also Springfield is about 2.5 hours from St. Louis which is probably the ideal "stop-time" for a road trip pit stop and there isn't much in-between to stop at on I-44. Springfield being a metropolitan area also has a large enough work force to staff a Buc-ee's. The Tulsa to OKC gap is only 90 minutes.

In Texas, I can only find three Buc-ee's locations that are in what most would consider a rural area, Madisonville, TX, Luling, TX, and Bastrop TX, all of these locations are essentially halfway points between Houston and the other three metros of San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin.

Stroud/Turner Turnpike just seems to be a long shot. In 2023, that route averaged about 30,000 cars a day.
A Buc-ee's placed on I-35 south of Norman, average vehicle count would be between 75,000 to 90,000 cars daily.

Ennis is near Dallas, but is pretty rural. Heck it is home to the "Cowboy Church." Leeds, AL is also getting rural, but is still pretty close to Birmingham.

[Pete]

Buc-ee's is eying another Southern state for a new travel center
And it could be a new hotspot while traveling for the Red River Rivalry.
By Andrea Guzmán,
Texas Brands Reporter
July 1, 2024

Buc-ee's is aiming to expand to Oklahoma, a company spokesperson told KHOU. The travel center's presence in the Sooner State would bring yet another Buc-ee's to a state surrounding Texas, as the company has expanded to Colorado and Missouri and has plans to open stores in Arkansas, Louisiana and Arizona.

So perhaps someday, drivers going between Tulsa and Oklahoma City can stop for a brisket sandwich and a picture with the beaver statue. Or Buc-ee's could choose a spot just south of Oklahoma City so that students driving from Norman for the Red River Rivalry game can stock up on snacks before making the trek to the Cotton Bowl Stadium.

However, nothing is certain yet. Buc-ee's hasn't shared any other details about its plans in Oklahoma, so it's not clear which town they're eying for a new location or when the company would push ahead on construction.

But the Buc-ee's playbook often involves opening in smaller cities near a major metro area. With a population of more than 700,000, Oklahoma City is the 20th largest city in the U.S. and grew in 2023. So, it wouldn't be surprising if Buc-ee's chose to center its plans around the traffic it could net from people driving in and out of the state's capital.

When Buc-ee's eventually makes its way into Oklahoma, there's bound to be some locals who are already familiar with the beloved beaver store. Dallas is a popular road trip destination for many in Oklahoma, and the metro area has Buc-ee's stores in Denton and Hillsboro.

It's unlikely the coming Oklahoma Buc-ee's will be larger than 74,000 square feet, as Buc-ee's recently stated that its largest store model is reserved for the Lone Star State. So, Texans can rest easy knowing any Oklahoma Buc-ee's at least won't be as grand as the Buc-ee's locations in its home state.

[bombermwc]

Well you can count out between Tulsa and OKC or OKC and Lawton. They won't get rights on the turnpike since that's already done, and who is going to want to pay to get off and back on the turnpike to go to a gas station. And the point made was that it would be at a smaller city near the metro. That's just not accessible on the turnpikes and you have to have that support infrastructure and employee base population to keep the thing going long-term.

If I were them, i'd be looking at Noble/Guthrie on 35 or El Reno/Newalla-ish on 40. Just outside of town for the cheaper large swath of land, but close enough that it's going to get support for what I mentioned above.

Denton is one of those exceptions where they put that sucker right in town. The one in Amarillo that's being built is in town (technically) but on the outskirts right before the town disappears. That's far more common than Denton.