Love’s Travel Stops on Wednesday cut a ribbon to celebrate the opening of a fuel center in Joliet, a project stalled for about seven years amid a legal fight with neighbors.

“This was a huge lift to get this site open,” Love’s District Manager Bob Macnider said to the celebrants. “This was a long time coming and a big project.”

The truck stop, which has parking for 91 trucks. is located off Interstate 80 at the Briggs Street interchange.

It opened May 14.

At one time, it was expected to open in 2019. But construction was slowed down by a lawsuit eventually won by Love’s in a 2024 decision in a state appellate court.

Now that the fuel center is open, Love’s will not turn a deaf ear to its neighbors, Macnider said.

“We take the issues we hear from the community seriously,” he said.

But at least for Tuesday, Love’s employees, members of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and other community members were applauding the company’s arrival in town.

The Joliet location is uniquely numbered among Love’s 670 stores.

“It’s Store #777 – the luckiest store," said Cade McDougal, general manager at the Joliet location.

The Joliet location includes a Hardee’s restaurant, in-store fresh food, and trucker services that include showers and laundry facilities along with nine diesel bays, many of the features that can be found at other truck stops.

“What sets us apart are our clean places and friendly faces,” McDougal said, invoking the company motto. “We take a lot of pride in that.”

Macnider suggested the company considered the opening of the Joliet store well worth waiting for.

“Joliet is kind of known as one of the major commerce interstate (locations) in the United States,” Macnider said. “It’s a premium location for us.”

City projections in 2018, when the Love’s project was approved, were that the location would draw 600 trucks and 2,400 cars a day.

City gas taxes from the Love’s location were estimated at a little more than $1 million a year with sales taxes from store purchases estimated at $225,000 a year.

The number of cars and trucks coming out Love’s already is backing up traffic on New Lenox Road, where the fuel center entrance is located, perhaps creating another truck traffic situation for the city to solve.

Worries about the number of trucks pouring onto New Lenox Road and Briggs Street were among the issues raised by those against the project.

Macnider said Love’s wants to hear about any issues involving the truck stop.

“Hopefully, you guys will learn that we’re good neighbors of this community also,” Macnider told the group gathered for the ribbon cutting.

He said Love’s likes to participate in fundraising projects for local schools and community organizations.

“If you have ideas, start peppering this team,” he said.

Joliet Economic Development Director Paulina Martinez alluded to Macnider’s offer during her comments at the ribbon cutting.

“That’s the kind of partnership, the kind of investment we are always looking for in the city of Joliet,” Martinez said.

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