Above, the site of a new Sheetz convenience store and gas station is visible from the Lynn Avenue bridge in South Bethlehem on New Year’s eve.
It won’t be long until the Wawa that recently opened on Rt. 412 in south Bethlehem has some competition from its chief rival, just up the street.
A new Sheetz that will be a combination convenience store-gas station is currently taking shape on E. 4th Street at Emery Street, about a mile north of where the Wawa that opened in mid-December is located.
As of New Year’s Eve, the distinctive “Sheetz red” canopy that will cover the store’s gas pumps was in place, and work on the convenience store building had begun.
Channel 69 News reported in October 2022 that the Sheetz on E. 4th Street will be built to include a drive-thru lane, which is something the new Wawa does not have.
Something it does offer, however, are beer and wine sales.
Channel 69 News reported last year that Sheetz officials had expressed interest in obtaining a license to sell beer and wine, but it is unclear if that has since happened.
A recent post in the Hellertown, Pennsylvania Facebook group that included a photo of the Sheetz construction site generated excitement and debate among members, some of whom said they are loyal Wawa customers. Others said they would prefer that a Wawa or Sheetz store open in Hellertown, or would like to some other type of business altogether open in place of the Sheetz.
Based in Altoona, Sheetz has made inroads in the traditionally Wawa-dominated Lehigh Valley convenience store market over the past 20 years, and apparently continues to prospect new sites.
The company currently has approximately half a dozen Lehigh Valley stores, including locations in north Bethlehem, south Allentown, Whitehall and Palmer Township near Easton.
Although it will presumably welcome its first customers sometime in 2024, the company has not announced an estimated completion date, so it remains unclear when the new Sheetz will open.
A Sheetz store that is expected to open sometime in 2024 is currently under construction at E. Fourth and Emery streets in South Bethlehem. The location is about a mile-and-a-half north of the I-78/Rt. 412 interchange on the border between Bethlehem and Hellertown.
Steel beams that will support the facade of the new convenience store were in place on New Year’s Eve.
The distinctive “Sheetz red” metal canopy that will protect motorists pumping gas from the elements is already in place.
