Tuskegee, Macon County making Interstate 85 exit more welcoming for travelers
A years-long effort to make Exit 38 on Interstate 85 a major travel stop is paying off for leaders in Tuskegee and Macon County.
Monday, the ribbon was cut on a Pilot travel plaza just off of the interstate.
As Action 8 News first reported in 2014, area leaders have long wanted to create a destination travel stop between Montgomery and Auburn. Exit 38 is 27 miles from the Atlanta Highway/Chantilly Parkway exit in Montgomery, which features many restaurants and businesses, and 12-13 miles from the Auburn exits with Buc-ees and other businesses and restaurants.
In 2019, Action 8 News reported that the first business, a Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant, would be the first to open there.
The Pilot travel center is unique because it showcases design elements that celebrate Tuskegee’s rich history and honors the Tuskegee Airmen. The building’s exterior draws inspiration from the Control Tower at Moton Field, part of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.
City and county leaders hope to add more restaurants, a hotel and a Greyhound bus station in the years to come.
