An abandoned — but picturesque — gas station on a sleepy Interstate 82 exit between Prosser and Benton City has a date with a wrecking crew.
The old gas station, convenience store and other unused structures are along a particularly undeveloped stretch of freeway at 66201 W. Yakitat Road, off Exit 88 at Gibbon Road.
The collection of rundown buildings is juxtaposed against the Horse Heaven Hills, giving the impression of a spaghetti Western movie set.
But after years of neglect, the property is set for redevelopment by Ash DS LLC, a Tri-Cities business connected to gas stations and convenience stores in Sunnyside, Grandview, West Richland and Yakima.
The new Gibbons Market will replace the old gas station and convenience store with a modern new fueling station and convenience store, show Washington state and Benton County documents.
‘Wild, Wild West’
A real estate broker broker once described the property as ”a blast from the wild wild West.”
In reality, Benton County records indicate the collection of buildings, including residences and a Quonset hut serving as a fruit stand, was built in 1970.
It’s not clear when it went out of business. But its departure left motorists with little reason to get off the freeway at Exit 88.
The Gibbon Road exit is a lonely spot, serving chiefly as a convenient landmark to describe where accidents and wildfires have occurred in the area, Tri-City Herald archives show.
YouTube explorer Mike Carpenter toured the site in early 2023, filming as he made his way through empty buildings and occasional debris and graffiti.
Each day, 24,000 vehicles speed by on the interstate.
Redevelopment promises to put it back on the radar for drivers.
Gibbons Market will feature a 3,500-square-foot store and gas station with spots for eight vehicles. A 30,000 gallon underground fuel tank will replace four buried gas and diesel tanks currently on the site.
The fruit stand will reopen when the new Gibbons Market is ready for business. It will employ 20 and is expected to serve about 345 vehicles each day.
No environmental impact
The site is in unincorporated Benton County and will be served by an existing well and a septic system because of its remote location.
Brestebreur Bros. Construction of Grandview is the contractor. Benton County records indicate Ash DS paid $700,000 for the 13+ acre site in May 2023.
Ash DS is led by Resham Singh and Paramjit Tooray. The duo operate Chevron, Arco and other roadside convenience businesses, Washington business records show. They could not be reached by the Herald about their plans.
Environmental documents indicate work could begin as early as next year.
Benton County anticipates the project won’t cause damage to the environment. Nov. 20 is the deadline to submit comments to the county at planning.department@co.benton.wa.us.
