MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — The roar of heavy machinery and the crash of falling trees marked a pivotal moment for Monroe County this week as construction officially began on Georgia's fourth Buc-ee's travel center .

Crews started clearing land Wednesday at the 30-acre site off Interstate 75's Exit 181 at Rumble Road, transforming months of planning and heated community debate into a visible reality.

The massive 74,000-square-foot facility will feature 120 gas pumps and employ about 200 people when it opens in spring 2027, but the project has sharply divided this rural community between those excited about economic opportunities and residents worried about losing their small-town character.

Sue Bass, who lives about a mile from the construction site on Ghost Road, watched the land clearing

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