That Clearing North of Willis Is Only the Beginning

Three fuel-oriented projects are clustered along Calvary Road, Interstate 45 and State Highway 75.

Drivers passing Calvary Road have been watching a fresh patch of red dirt grow into a full construction site. The paperwork shows that clearing is one part of a larger change taking shape along the north side of Willis. Three separate fuel-oriented developments are now tied to a compact stretch of Calvary Road, Interstate 45 and State Highway 75. One site was visibly under construction by February 2026. A truck stop is planned about a mile farther north, and another convenience store is scheduled west of the interstate.

What Is Being Built at Calvary Road

The most visible work is at 26 Calvary Road, across from the existing Circle K near State Highway 75 and only a few hundred feet east of Interstate 45. A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing calls it the I-45 and Calvary project. The filing describes an 18,249-square-foot development with one convenience store, two shell buildings intended for quick-service restaurants and two fuel canopies. The estimated construction cost is $1,679,900.

The original state filing listed construction from January 24 through June 24, 2025. Those dates have passed, and the current state record says "Review Complete." Google Street View imagery captured in February 2026 shows major grading, an excavated basin and construction equipment on the tract. That confirms substantial site work occurred, but it does not establish an opening date or prove the original schedule was met.

A Separate Truck Stop About a Mile North

The In-Time Truck Stop is a separate project at 15897 Highway 75 North. Its 6.837-acre tract sits between Interstate 45 and Highway 75 near the point where the northbound interstate exit feeds toward the state highway.

The project has been moving through public records for years. Willis planning commissioners considered its replat in February 2023 after a nearby resident raised concerns about traffic, noise, trucks blocking driveways, water and sewer service and access from Highway 75. The commission voted to table the item after a lengthy discussion. The Willis City Council approved the replat unanimously on March 21, 2023. At that meeting, city officials said the tract was designed to serve several trucks at once. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval if TxDOT approved a turning lane, but TxDOT's study was still months from completion. The developer said it was pursuing a left-turn lane and proposed two driveway entrances on Highway 75.

A state construction filing registered in November 2024 describes a 7,086-square-foot facility with a cashier and sales area, beer cave, walk-in cooler, deli, restrooms and showers. The estimated cost is $1,417,200, and the listed construction period runs from November 2025 to November 2026. The state currently labels it "Project Registered." February 2026 Street View imagery shows the tract open and largely cleared, with a gravel entrance, but no obvious building construction.

The Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District later reviewed a request for a commercial well authorized for up to 985,000 gallons a year. District staff said the proposed well would serve the truck stop and recommended approval of the requested allocation.

Another Convenience Store Planned West of Interstate 45

A third filing covers a project at 9898 Calvary Road, west of Interstate 45. The state record identifies a proposed 9,149-square-foot convenience store with an estimated cost of $3.5 million. Its listed construction window runs from February 2027 to February 2028.

That later date matters. February 2026 Street View imagery still showed a home, lawn and wooded acreage at the address, with no visible commercial construction. The project is real enough to have a state accessibility filing, but it should not be described as an active building site.

Why This Corridor Is Filling In

The three projects are clustered within a little more than a mile. They also join an existing Circle K at Calvary Road and a Love's Travel Stop farther south at Longstreet Road. Taken together, the filings point toward a growing highway-service corridor built around fuel, food and truck traffic.

Willis has anticipated northern growth for years. The city's comprehensive plan identified the Interstate 45 and Highway 75 corridors as primary growth areas and proposed major water-line extensions north from Calvary Road toward Pollard Road and Shepard Hill Road. The plan did not approve these private projects, but it shows that city planners expected development to push in this direction.

The important distinction is what can be seen today. The Calvary and Highway 75 site showed active construction in February. The In-Time property was cleared but had no obvious building work in the same month's imagery. The 9898 Calvary Road project carries a 2027 start date and still looked residential in February.

For nearby residents, the next questions are familiar ones: how trucks will enter and leave Highway 75, whether turning lanes will be required, how drainage and groundwater will be handled, and whether roads and utilities will keep pace. The clearing may have started the conversation, but the paperwork shows the north side of Willis is preparing for much more than one new store.