Find out what’s happening to the BP station at busy St. Joseph intersection

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By Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com

A gas station at the corner of two state highways is getting a much needed upgrade.

The BP gas station near the intersection of M-63 and M-139 in Royalton Township been demolished, and operators Pri Mar Petroleum are in the process of rebuilding, according to Royalton Township Manager Steve Tilly.

“[Pri Mar] has indicated to us that it’s one of their more popular stations,” Tilly said. “It’s quite old, so they decided earlier this year to tear it down, remove the tanks and start over with new tanks, new pumps, island canopy and a new building.”

Tilly said there were no underlying issues with the facility, aside from its age.

“When they dug, everything was good,” Tilly said. “We were out there checking on it, and it was good. Pure sand, no contamination. Because they were so old, they decided to replace everything.”

While the “BP” sign is still up at the site of construction, Tilly said he wasn’t sure if the new station would still be a BP.

“We won’t really know until we see the color markings and signage go up,” he said. “But they’ve been working on this quite a while.”

No timetable has been provided to the township, but Tilly said he expects the station to be up and running before next spring.

“I know the canopy has been on order and I think that’s almost ready to go,” Tilly said. “They’re making pretty good progress … I don’t know if it will be done by early December, but sometime early to midwinter at the latest.”