Bluestone, Beckley Travel Plazas getting $122 million revamp, driver weighs in

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Construction for the Bluestone and Beckley Travel Plazas along the West Virginia Turnpike is moving along.

The $122 million project will offer travelers food, EV charging stations, outdoor dining, expanded parking for tractor trailers and cars and more.

“At first you couldn’t see any progress, now you see a good amount,” tractor trailer driver Steve Petracca said.

Petracca said the construction of the two new plazas means two less sites for him to stop to rest when travelling through the area.

“There’s so many trucks now that it’s really hard to find a good spot,” Petracca said. “I don’t like parking on the side of the road, on the off ramps and on ramps. I don’t like doing that. So, you gotta shut down pretty early to even get a spot.”

The West Virginia Department of Transportation said the Bluestone Travel Plaza closed at 7 a.m. on Monday to allow for the completion of the new travel plaza, and diesel fueling stations and parking will close at the Beckley Travel Plaza on August 1.

Executive Director of the West Virginia Parkways Authority commented on the closures’ impact on drivers in a press release saying, “This will certainly have an impact on diesel fuel customers at Beckley and those commercial truck drivers who use the site for overnight parking,” Miller said. “We recognize that, and want to assure the traveling public that when these sites are completed and reopened they will be able to enjoy world-class facilities, with expanded offerings over the previous facilities.”

Petracca said he is excited for the plazas to be finished.

“When they get these things going it will take a lot off the roads. So, that’ll help out,” he said.

According to WVDOT, construction is estimated to be complete by the end of the year.