Wawa construction progressing at Union Center Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Twp.

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WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Construction is progressing at Union Center Plaza along Route 309 in Wilkes-Barre Township, for a new Wawa convenience store/gas station. Steel girders are going up and the entire site is being developed.

Wawa hopes to open the store in late 2024 or early 2025.

This is the first Wawa of several planned for Luzerne County. Wawa is also looking to open in Dallas Township and Plains Township.

The Dallas Township Zoning Board has approved all zoning issues for a Wawa for Dallas Development Partners. The store is to be built next to Tractor Supply on Route 309.

Plains Township Commissioners said a traffic study on Route 315 and East Mountain needed to be approved.

Jessica Ruddy, PennDOT spokesperson, said the developer and their engineer will be preparing the traffic study. PennDOT is awaiting the initial submission for review.

The proposed site is in Plains Township, near Mohegan Pennsylvania, at the corner of Route 315 and East Main Street — across the street from a similar type chain, Sheetz. Plains officials said the applicant for the project is Plains Development Partners, which is an arm of Summit Realty Advisors, LLC, of Ambler, Montgomery County. That same company is also seeking to build the Wawa on Route 309 in Dallas Township near Tractor Supply.

A Wells Fargo bank branch sits at the corner of East Main Street and Route 315. Township officials said the plan is to build a Wawa that would wrap around the bank building and have access on both roadways.

The other location that had been proposed was on Market Street in Kingston, but that deal appears to have stalled.

Regionally, there are Wawa stores in Carbon and Monroe Counties — and reportedly one is planned for Scranton. A small, older format Wilkes-Barre store closed many years ago.

Wilkes-Barre Township Code Enforcement/Zoning Officer Tom Zedolik said that work is progressing on the Aldi store that will occupy part of the former Kmart in the same plaza. Zedolik said the entrance to Aldi will face Casey Avenue.