BUCKEYE LAKE, Ohio -- After nearly 40 years, the Duke Travel Plaza or Buckeye Lake Truck Stop at Ohio 79 and Interstate 70 will close Sunday, reported The Zanesville Times Recorder.
Ed Stephens, vice president of Englefield Oil Co., which owns the truckstop, told the newspaper that several factors have prompted the closure, including a decline in trucking. He said because the economy has been down, there is less need for goods to be transported. A decline in demand, and rising oil prices, have put many independent truck operators out of business, a main source of business for the Duke [image-nocss] and Duchess truckstops, he said.
"It is just a reciprocal downward trend. The trend has been going on for probably a year or two," Stephens said. "As the economy slows down [the truckers slow down]. They buy less gas, they buy less in the store and they buy less in the restaurant."
Although the main truckstop and convenience store will close, another convenience store next to the Taco Bell will remain open and continue to sell gas. The McDonald's, Taco Bell, motel and semi-repair garage, which are independently operated, will all remain open, the report said.
Stephens said future plans have not been solidified, and could not say if the property would be sold. But Buckeye Lake Mayor Frank Foster said he anticipated the site would be redeveloped soon, especially with the availability of water the new Buckeye Lake water plant will bring.Englefield Oil operates two other truckstops in Ohio, in Newcomerstown and Mount Gilead; neither is expected to close, according to the report. Englefield Oil also operates 93 other Duke and Duchess gas stations and c-stores within the state. The company has annual sales over $300 million and employs more than 1,500 people, said its website.There will be little to no job loss associated with the closing, however, said the report. "We've met with most of the employees and all of them we will be retaining and placing in different locations," Stephens told the Times Recorder. "Most are going to other convenience stores in Licking County and a couple are coming down to our warehouse in Heath."Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.