Snow covered the gas pump canopy at a new Wawa under construction at Passer Road and Rt. 309 in Upper Saucon Township Friday. The gas station-convenience store is expected to open Feb. 3 at a busy intersection that was for many years home to the former Peppercorn Pub. A McDonald’s is also under construction next to the Wawa and is expected to open sometime in March.
With fresh snow on the ground and temperatures below freezing, Friday was a day when thousands of motorists likely wished they could have stopped at a Wawa that’s nearly ready to open at Rt. 309 and Passer Road in Upper Saucon Township.
Located just north of Coopersburg, the combination gas station-convenience store was originally expected to open in the fall, but due to delays is now slated to open Feb. 3.
As of Friday, the company’s familiar roadside signage–which will soon display gas prices–was visible along Rt. 309 along with two banners advertising jobs with Wawa. Hung from a chainlink fence, one of the banners advertised a starting hourly rate of $15 per hour, while the other advertised a $1.50/hour 3rd shift differential, “education assistance, flexible scheduling, paid time off, free meal (and) benefits” at Wawa stores.
Banners hung on the chain link fence surrounding the Wawa that’s under construction advertise job openings at the store.
Many businesses have struggled to maintain adequate levels of staffing as the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects continue to be felt locally and around the country.
The banner indicated that prospective applicants can apply online at Wawa.com/careers.
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By early spring, Wawa will be joined by a new McDonald’s restaurant, which is also under construction on an adjacent pad site on Rt. 309.
Both locations will be the first for their respective brands in the Southern Lehigh area.
Wawa is well-known for its hoagies, coffee, gas and ubiquity in the Pennsylvania area.
