By Aiden Kelsey
Wawa Inc. will open a gas station and convenience store in Rockbridge County next year as part of a mass expansion into western Virginia.
The Pennsylvania-based chain is planning to open 60 stores along I-81 in Virginia over the next 10 years, said Alyson Mucha, a public relations representative for Wawa.
“After serving the Virginia community for over 25 years with more than 125 stores, Wawa is thrilled to continue its expansion westward,” Mucha said in an email.
Wawa opened a store in Staunton on Nov. 6. Mucha said the company plans to open another in Winchester by the end of 2025.
Mucha said she can’t say when in 2026 the Rockbridge County location will open.
The store will be located along U.S. Route 60, just southeast of Lexington. Brandy Flint, the director of economic development for Rockbridge County, said Wawa finished prepping the site for construction about a month ago.
Flint said Wawa has applied for and received a building permit from the county building department. The company also received approval from the Rockbridge County Public Service Authority to use the county’s water and sewer services.
“Everything’s done,” she said. “They just haven’t started construction on the building.”
Mucha declined to explain why work on the building hasn’t started yet.
“There are many factors involved when it comes to scheduling construction,” she said.
Each new store will cost Wawa about $7.5 million, Mucha said. She said she couldn’t give particulars for the Lexington location.
The average Wawa employs about 35 people, Mucha said. Flint said that means more jobs for Rockbridge County.
“It’s 35 jobs for someone in the area,” she said. “If they want to be, you know, a cashier or a maintenance worker.”
Flint said the new store will also contribute tax dollars to the county. The county gets 1% of all sales tax revenue from businesses in its jurisdiction, she said. The rest goes to the state government.
Lexington and the surrounding area already have a dozen gas stations, according to AAA’s fuel price finder. Flint said the county didn’t actively seek out Wawa.
“It’s not like we recruit them,” she said. “Nine times out of ten, wherever you see a Sheetz you will see a Wawa … It’s basic competitive business.”
New gas stations have driven down local gas prices in the past. Sheetz opened its Lexington location in 2013, and its cheaper prices forced other stations to cut their prices, according to previous reporting from the Rockbridge Report.
But Flint says she doesn’t foresee a significant drop in gas prices.
“It may be a few pennies here and there,” she said.
Circle K, one of the country’s largest convenience store chains, is also planning to build a gas station along U.S. Route 11 in the Timber Ridge area north of Lexington. Flint said. She said Circle K is still prepping the site for construction.