Buс-ee's is set to open its first Arizona store in Goodyear on June 22, bringing a 74,000-square-foot site with 120 fueling stations to 1001 N. Bullard Ave. The parking lot opens at midnight, the store doors open at 6 a.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony follows at 8 a.m.

Dina Kaur reported the opening as Goodyear prepared for what could be one of the busiest days the area has seen, with as many as 40,000 vehicles expected across opening day and the following week. The store is expected to bring 200+ jobs to the area and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, giving the city a new round-the-clock draw at a key spot near Interstate 10 and Bullard Avenue.

That scale is why the search for details is happening now. Buc-ee's confirmed the Goodyear location on March 13, 2024, and city officials are treating the debut as both a celebration and a traffic event, with Gov. Katie Hobbs, City Manager Bryan Langley, Mayor Joe Pizzillo and other local officials expected at the ribbon-cutting. Stan Beard said Goodyear was ideally placed for road-trippers heading out to California or coming in for the Phoenix area, a pitch that fits the store's long-running draw for travelers looking for fuel, food and a break from the road.

The city is also asking people to prepare for the opening as more than a quick stop. It issued a moratorium on all construction within the public right-of-way in the immediate vicinity from June 21 to July 6, said business access will remain available along Bullard, and encouraged rideshare and carpooling to help reduce congestion. Even with those steps, Goodyear warned drivers to expect slow-moving to standstill traffic at times, and the travel route provided for June 22 will stay in place as long as traffic control is needed.

For drivers, the unanswered question is not whether the store will draw a crowd. It is how long that crowd will reshape Bullard Avenue and the Interstate 10 corridor once the doors open at 6 a.m. and the first wave of visitors starts arriving before sunrise.