A Wawa with gas pumps will be built in Bristol Township’s Croydon section.
Bristol Township Council voted to approve preliminary and final approval for the new convenience store and gas station at the corner of State Road and Veterans Highway (Route 413). The Wawa will be built on a lot that totals about two acres, according to tax records.
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Representatives for Wawa said the design will be similar to other newer locations built by the company that had $9 billion in sales last year.
Traffic consultants hired by Wawa studied the traffic before and after Keystone Elementary School was built 1.2 miles away, an engineer for the company said.
Wawa will not be constructing sidewalks along State Road or Veterans Highway but will improve the intersection by adding ramps, new curbs, a walkway from the intersection to the store and upgrades to the traffic light timing. However, Wawa officials said they would be willing to look at adding sidewalks in the future if a pedestrian traffic increase is noticed.
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Wawa’s plans show that a right in and right out entrance and exit will be constructed along Veterans Highway and an all access entrance and exit would be built along State Road.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A concern about traffic in the area backing up when the Burlington-Bristol Bridge opens was met with Council President Craig Bowen joking that those waiting can now get a coffee while they wait.
Wawa has been working to clear contamination from the site that formerly housed a recycling company. An environmental engineering firm is testing soil and groundwater and removing any contamination and dispose of it properly.
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Kristin Potter, owner of the nearby State Road Deli and Market, told the Council she was worried about competition from the new Wawa. She also warned it could lead to closing of businesses and jobs in the area.
“What happens when we – a family business – go out of business?” she asked.
Bowen said the Council’s job is land development decisions. He added that his business in the township recently faced competition but continues to operate.
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Potter told a LevittownNow.com reporter last year that her business offers services far more personal than that offered by Wawa, a family-owned chain with locations across the East Coast. She also said the business supports her family.
No construction start date for the new Wawa has been announced.
Currently, there are already three Wawa locations in Bristol Township that have gas pumps and two that operate without gas pumps.
