Gas station, truck stop break ground along I-5, north of Castle Rock

CASTLE ROCK — Drivers along Interstate 5, just north of Castle Rock, should have a new place to fill up and rest next summer.

Crews broke ground this July on a roughly $10 million gas station, convenience store and truck stop at I-5’s exit 52, said the developer, Jim Pliska. The Space Age Fuel Castle Rock Travel Center is being built on about 11 acres off the northbound I-5 exit for Barnes Drive and Toutle Park Road, near the Toutle River, and is expected to open by July 2022.

Pliska said the facility is being built for all travelers, including truckers. The site will offer a roughly 11,000 square-foot building with a convenience store and an A&W fast-food restaurant, he said. The parking lot will offer roughly 90 truck spaces, and drivers can use about 10 showers and a lounge with seats, tables, Wi-Fi and a TV to relax between shifts.

Pliska said his company operates a similar travel center in Hermiston, Ore., off Interstate 84. He said the northern Castle Rock highway will be another busy spot for travelers.

“I think it’s a great location — partway from Portland to Seattle — with a lot of interstate traffic there,” he said.

Pliska owns Space Age Fuel, a family-owned petroleum business based in Portland, which operates 21 gas stations in Oregon and Washington, and also offers home heating options. He said planning for the Castle Rock facility started about three years ago.

Cowlitz County building and planning deputy director Michael Wilson said the site’s main building was permitted in December 2020, while the highway sign was permitted in May, and grading was permitted in June. The site is not in the city of Castle Rock, but in unincorporated Cowlitz County.

Pliska said the center will bring new food and retail options to the area, as well as 70 full and part-time jobs.

“We’ll be providing some services that aren’t already provided there,” he said. “We’re super-competitive on prices, and we’ll bring jobs to the community too.”