Centre County’s first Wawa has broken ground. Here’s when it’s expected to open

Work has finally begun on a highly anticipated Wawa location in Benner Township — the convenience store/gas station chain’s first of four planned Centre County locations — and it could open as soon as late spring.

Construction crews broke ground Dec. 11 at the corner of Benner Pike and Eagle Point. Benner Township Zoning Officer Mike Lesniak told the CDT on Wednesday that construction will take at least “five or six months,” with a planned opening in late spring or early summer.

Development plans for the 6,600-square-foot Wawa were originally submitted to the township in June 2023 and were conditionally approved by the township’s supervisors in early 2024. Still, the Wawa’s construction was only recently green-lighted by the supervisors in October due to the finalization of some easements and surety agreements.

The plans include 16 gas pumps on eight fueling islands, along with two entry points — primary access from Eagle Point, with a right-out exit directly onto Benner Pike, and access through the adjacent Dunkin’ property.

Other (proposed) Wawas in Centre County

Two of the other three proposed Wawa locations in the county were revealed through the submission of development plans, and will be located at the former Snappy’s in Centre Hall and the former Sutliff Buick GMC Cadillac dealership and Delaney Collision Center along West Aaron Drive in Ferguson Township.

The county’s fourth proposed Wawa, to be located at the corner of East College Avenue and Squirrel Drive in College Township, was revealed at a Wawa community event in early September. It was also revealed at the event that Wawa would be looking to open 10 location in Centre County and the surrounding areas by 2031, with each location having roughly 35 employees.

Wawa has yet to share timelines for the construction of its three other Centre County locations.