A new Franklinville Wawa is under construction on Delsea Drive, replacing a “classic” Wawa which was in the same location.
The development effort is moving very fast now and in my visit today there were literally several dozen workers at the site actively working!
An interesting aspect for all readers is, while it can seem to take forever for a planned new Wawa to get started, once they they do it’s amazing how fast the stores and gas station canopies go up.
We’re presenting images here taken just 39 days apart!
The new Franklinville Wawa is being constructed on Delsea Drive at the intersection of Coles Mill Rd near the Franklinville Lake. The Franklinville Inn is across the intersection.
Keep scrolling for more images and commentary!
Wawa Construction: Amazing Progress in 39 Days!
My prior visit to the Franklinville Wawa site was on August 5th, 2022. At that time there was only a concrete pad for the store and just some small square concrete footers for the steel gas pump area canopy.
At the start of August there was no building.
Today in my return visit just 39 days later the core building is standing and mostly weatherproof, as well as the steel frame for the gas canopies.
At the start of September, the entire core Wawa is in place.
It seems my visit last month was timed visit just as contractors finished the foundation work and were getting read to take things “UP”
For the store building they’ve already moved past the steel framework and put in the walls and roof. For construction purposes I would say it’s protected from the elements (although glass and doors are not in)
Many exterior details are already in place including the upper trim designs and the steel frame for the front overhead canopy.
Even the front entrance bumped out “hip” roof section is in place.
As mentioned for the gas pumps are core steel framework is in place for the overhead canopy.
In this Franklinville Wawa setup they were able to position the pumps in the most traditional position.. directly in front of the store.
They still have a long way to go but this progress is very impressive.
I imagine none of the interior has been touched. There are no doors or windows.
But it really was amazing to see the difference from just 5 weeks ago!
This new upgraded store was approved by Franklinville Township back December 2019 (Courier-Post), just a few short months before the Covid pandemic shut down the world and construction projects halted.
Time is Burned in the Approvals; Town, County, Locals
Some projects seem to get presented, approved and developed in 18 months. Others drag on forever.
As an example, in February 2020 I wrote about a Gibbsboro Wawa getting approved.
Less than 2 years later they held their Grand Opening celebration.
Meanwhile, one town over in Voorhees on White Horse Rd they just opened a new Wawa location last month which took 25 years to develop and open! TWENTY FIVE YEARS!
So there are TON of factors which come into play for projects like a Wawa to get off the ground. It’s not simply about building.
Approvals from Town and County. Environmental approvals. Land purchases. Sometimes legal challenges.
Throw a global pandemic into the mix with worker shortages and supplier delays… it becomes very tough to predict the timing of a project.
So I get asked all the time for updates on a project like a new Wawa.
Washington Township and Erial are two of the hot topics right now.
And within the community the delays turn into resident opinions, which then somehow turn into facts in the minds of many. Then I get message “Oh yeah 100% that project was cancelled”… when it’s still very much alive
Well here is the kicker.
Wawa is a private company. I am just a one-guy website publisher.
Companies as large as Wawa don’t have to tell me anything. They don’t even really tell any media outlet anything,
So we know things are approved and everyone is waiting.. and it’s tough to get details.
And honestly I’ve never heard of Wawa just abandoning an approved project, unless they lost a lawsuit challenge on the project.
Sometimes it just takes a long time to get all of the “ducks in a row”
I know I’ll have 30 questions in Facebook comments asking about the Washington Township Wawa at 5-points.
Guys it’s still coming. While it’s very tough to get direct contact with Wawa or the development teams, I’ve been able to chat with representatives of the 5-Points Wawa project.
Trust me it’s still happening.
I should have an update on 5-Points Wawa in the next 2 weeks.
Links and Location
Wawa Franklinville (Under Construction)
2515 Route 47
Franklinville NJ