Wawa, one of New Jersey’s most popular stores, is expanding even further in the state.
The convenience chain announced it will break ground this week on its first location in Sussex County.
The store will be located at 1 Route 15 in Augusta, within Frankford Township, in the former space of The Chatterbox, an iconic Garden State drive-in restaurant that closed back in 2018.
The Chatterbox was demolished in March 2021.
The process was slowed in part by a state Department of Transportation review of an access lane to the Wawa, which will be built across from a QuickChek that opened one week before the Chatterbox closed.
Wawa is planning to hold a ground-breaking ceremony Friday, Dec. 10, at the intersection of Route 15 and Route 206. During the ceremony, Wawa leaders and local officials will break ground at 10 a.m. and unveil a “Wawa Coming Soon” sign.
It is expected to open in the summer of 2022, although an exact opening date has yet to be announced.
“We look forward to opening our first store in Sussex County and can’t wait to connect with new neighbors and have a reunion with friends who are part of the newest and most northern New Jersey communities we serve,” Jason Read, Wawa’s director of store operations, said.
Wawa also opened a new store on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 1512 Route 23 in Butler. Last week, Wawa opened in Plainfield, too.
The company is planning to open a handful of locations throughout the state by the end of 2021. They are expected in Bridgeton, Chesterfield Township, Freehold, Gibbsboro and Mount Holly.
There are currently 269 locations in New Jersey and more than 900 stores throughout the East Coast.
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