WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – The Bluestone Travel Plaza West Virginia Turnpike is scheduled to shut down at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 8, 2024, to make way for the completion of a new travel plaza that is currently under construction at the same location.
The fueling stations at the site are already out of service, and the travel plaza will also be closed for truck parking until the construction is finished by the end of the year. Similarly, all diesel fueling stations and truck parking will be off limits at the Beckley Travel Plaza starting from Thursday, August 1, 2024, until the completion of that particular project.
Back in February 2023, the West Virginia Parkways Authority approved a contract worth $122,820,381.53 with Paramount Builders LLC, of St. Albans, for the demolition and renovation of the Beckley and Bluestone travel plazas. The revamped travel plazas will boast expanded food offerings, a 24/7 Mountain State Market convenience store, outdoor dining options, increased parking for tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles, EV charging stations, separate fueling options for vehicles and tractor-trailers, picnic areas, and pet relief areas.
Furthermore, the Beckley Travel Plaza will feature a drive-through, enhanced restroom facilities, bus parking, and an upgrade to the Parkways Authority Tourist Information Centers. Jeff Miller, the executive director of the Parkways Authority emphasized the necessity of completely closing the Beckley and Bluestone travel plaza sites to allow the contractor to finalize the site renovations in the areas that have remained open up to this point in the project.
This temporary closure will indeed affect diesel fuel customers at Beckley and commercial truck drivers who utilize the site for overnight parking. However, he reassured the traveling public that upon completion and reopening, the sites will offer world-class facilities with expanded amenities compared to the previous facilities.
