The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a sublease last week that will lead to the development of a new Sheetz gas station and store near Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The unanimous board vote included Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, serving as chair for Governor Larry Hogan, along with Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp.
Sheetz, a major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience chain, will build a new store location at the intersection of Aviation Boulevard and Amtrak Way, on the northwest side of the airport. The new location will sit at the approximately 4-acre site near the BWI Rail Station and the airport’s consolidated rental car facility. Sheetz was voted Best Regional Fast Food Chain by USA Today in 2020.
“We are excited to welcome Sheetz to the airport and the local community,” said Ricky Smith, Executive Director of BWI Marshall Airport. “The new store location will offer excellent service for our passengers, rental car customers, employees, and local residents. The popular, high-quality Sheetz brand will reinforce our commitment to offering a convenient, modern airport with outstanding amenities.”
The Board of Public Works previously awarded a contract to PMG BWI Airport Plaza Developers, LLC to develop the airport site. PMG Airport Plazas builds and operates service plazas at airports across the U.S. to meet the needs of travelers. The company worked with Sheetz to bring the popular convenience store chain to BWI Marshall Airport. The preliminary schedule calls for the construction of the new service plaza to begin in the spring of 2022.
“While this store location is in the very early stages of development, we are certainly very excited to introduce our unique Sheetz brand to both local and national travelers at BWI Marshall Airport,” said Sheetz Vice President of Real Estate, Steven Augustine. “We are confident that our award-winning Made-to-Order (MTO®) menu and the 24/7/365 convenience offered by Sheetz will be a great fit for customers who are on the go.”
As more people return to air travel during the COVID-19 recovery, BWI Marshall Airport remains the busiest airport in the region. While still below 2019 figures, the airport’s departing passenger traffic in August was up 120% from August 2020. Ahead of the peak summer travel season, BWI Marshall reopened its Long Term parking lots. About 95% of the airport’s food and retail concessions are now open to serve travelers.
The BWI Marshall Airport community remains focused on safe and healthy travel. Customers are reminded that federal regulations continue to require masks or face coverings in the airport terminal and on commercial flights. It is recommended that passengers arrive at the airport two hours before their scheduled departure. It would also be worth considering BWI airport parking so that the trip would go smoothly and without unexpected complications.
