Traffic apocalypse never happened at opening of South MS Buc-ee’s. Here’s why
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- Mississippi’s new Buc-ee’s opened with high traffic but avoided major gridlock.
- State and county spent a year upgrading I-10 ramps and Menge Avenue bridge.
- Careful planning, added patrols, and roundabouts helped maintain traffic flow.
The cars kept coming. But hours after the first fans rushed inside Mississippi’s new Buc-ee’s travel center on Monday, it was clear that fears of gridlock on Interstate 10 were mostly overblown.
Amid a nonstop surge of customers, officials said traffic was still moving at the Menge Avenue exit after months of careful planning. Some minor backups stalled nearby drivers. But Anna Ehrgott, a public information officer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, said traffic, especially on the interstate ramps, “seems to be flowing well.”
The state and county worked for more than a year to expand the I-10 ramps and replace the Menge Avenue bridge to prepare for an influx of Buc-ee’s traffic at an interchange where an average of 53,000 cars already pass each day.
Monday was its first test: Some devoted fans camped out overnight and short backups stalled southbound traffic on Firetower Road. The Buc-ee’s parking lot had nearly filled by 6:30 a.m. and stayed packed all day. At times, crossing I-10 from the north took nearly five minutes because drivers on Firetower Road must yield to cars circling a roundabout to enter Buc-ee’s. But little traffic was apparent from the south.
Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Landon Orozco said the agency assigned eight extra officers to police the interstate entrance and exit ramps this week. Still, by mid-afternoon, no major problems were reported.
The opening day traffic appeared far better than what has ailed the Buc-ee’s in Loxley, Alabama, where county leaders have said congestion is a regular nuisance that backs cars onto the interstate and has sent confused visitors down once-quiet residential roads.
Some neighbors still lamented that there were more cars on Monday than they had ever seen at the Menge Avenue exit, where Harrison County funded the $15 million improvement project. But Ehrgott said MDOT was monitoring the interchange closely and would adjust traffic signals as needed. She also attributed the flowing traffic to an earlier study on how to design the interchange to ease backups.
“Widened ramps and overpasses can accommodate larger traffic volumes,” Ehrgott said, “and roundabouts help keep traffic flowing at intersections while increasing safety for motorists.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 1:52 PM.