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Purplish: What the ‘Buc’? Buc-ee’s back in Colorado headlines

Buc-ee’s in Johnstown, at the intersection of Interstate 25 and Nugget Road, features a 74,000-square-foot building, fronted by 116 fuel pumps, is open around the clock.
Hart Van Denburg
/
CPR News
Buc-ee’s in Johnstown, at the intersection of Interstate 25 and Nugget Road, features a 74,000-square-foot building, fronted by 116 fuel pumps, is open around the clock.

For years, Buc-ee’s has been eyeing a parcel of land off Interstate 25 at Monument Hill to build its second Colorado location.

The travel plaza chain, in late August, made a significant step toward realizing that ambition. Following a packed and, at times, heated public hearing, county commissioners helped set the stage for Buc-ee’s to build on that parcel of land.

The story of Buc-ee’s, Monument Hill and Palmer Lake has been through many twists and turns. The Purplish team updates you on where things stand now and revisits its documentary from last fall: “How a possible Buc-ee’s travel plaza has divided one Colorado town.”

Catch up on our latest coverage:

Purplish is produced by CPR News and the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Purplish’s producer is Stephanie Wolf. Sound design and engineering by Shane Rumsey. Story editing from Nicole Vap. The theme music is by Brad Turner. Other music in this episode is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Megan Verlee is CPR News’ executive producer of podcasts.

Bente Birkeland is an award-winning journalist who joined Colorado Public Radio in August 2018 after a decade of reporting on the Colorado state capitol for the Rocky Mountain Community Radio collaborative and KUNC. In 2017, Bente was named Colorado Journalist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and she was awarded with a National Investigative Reporting Award by SPJ a year later.
Andrea came to KRCC in 2008 by way of Missouri. She’s responsible for KRCC’s overall news presence, and oversees a cadre of staff, freelancers, and students. Her award-winning work has been heard on NPR, The World (PRI), and the BBC. The Ohio native loves music and media, food, and the open road; it’s also not uncommon to see her taking a walk through downtown Colorado Springs.
Briana Heaney joined KRCC News as General Assignment Reporter/Back-up Host on June 9, 2025.