MIDWAY — Work on the proposed Jones Petroleum travel center in Midway could start within several weeks.
Jeremy Crosby of JPC Construction told Midway City Council members at their meeting Monday that the company expects to break ground in July — and it also expects to have a Taco Bell and a Dunkin Donuts when it is finished.
“We are working on the last couple things we have to take care of with the Georgia Department of Transportation and Liberty County,” he said.
The travel center will sit on about 25 acres off Highway 84 near the interchange with Interstate 95. The company bought an additional 3.65 acres, and Southern Tire Mart, a Mississippi company, will purchase that site. Southern Tire Mart plans to establish a commercial tire center on the tract.
“We think it will go with the travel center and be a benefit to the community,” Crosby told council members. “If you’re traveling up and down 95 and have a tire issue, or any other issue, you can jump off and get that fixed while you get some fuel and some food.”
Council members approved a conditional use for the commercial tire center, next to the planned travel center. The property currently is undeveloped.
The tire center will be approximately 29,000 square feet, with 37 parking spaces for cars and pickup and three spaces for semis. There will be one entrance from Highway 84 and access to the tire center from the travel center. If there are more than three semis waiting for service, they will be parked at the travel center. The rear of the tire center will adjoin the proposed travel center.
The tire center will employ about 10-15 people and is expected to be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Depending on the amount of business, it may open on Saturdays.
Because there are still several months of planning ahead, the tire center will break ground at a later date, Crosby said.
Because the property is in a gateway, the design for the tire center will have to come before city council for approval.
The travel center, initially proposed in March 2023, also had original plans of 40 pumps in the front for vehicle traffic and diesel pumps in the back for semis. The travel center also is expected to be about 30,000 square feet.
In proposing the travel center two years ago, Crosby estimated the tax revenue it could bring in to be about $1.6 million annually.