Paris Gas Station To Close Due To Highway Widening

 
 
By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
 
Paris, Tenn.—It’s not what anyone wants, but the Marathon gas station on North Market Street—a mainstay in Paris for almost 40 years—will be closing due to the widening of Hwy. 641N.
 
But, the good news is: employees of the station will not be losing their jobs. They still will be working at other Cox Oil Co. convenience stores if they so chose.
 
Ryan Higginbotham, Director of Business Development for Cox Oil, told WENK/WTPR that this is not the outcome that the company had wanted and follows lengthy negotiations with TDOT.
 
“We hoped to work through this and stay open” despite the widening of the highway, he said.
 
However, TDOT has changed the configuration of the bridge that is located just outside the station and will be placing a guard rail there. “What that will do is close down one of our entrances and that will not allow tankers to safely go in and out. There’s just no possible way that tankers would be able to safely turn around there and also our other customers would have to do a U-turn on the property just to exit.”
 
For safety sake, the station really needs two entrances, he said.
 
The station has been open for 37 years. Originally owned by Betty Smith and her husband, it now is owned by Cox Oil.
 
“Our goal is to try to find another location in Paris,” Higginbotham said. “Paris has been wonderful for us. It’s been a very successful station and we hope to find another location.”
 
Cox Oil officials have spoken with employees of the station, informing them of the change in TDOT’s plans and what that means.
 
“They’ve been notified that no one will lose their jobs,” he said. “They will be transferred to other stations we operate, if that’s what they want.”
 
Cox Oil owns two other Paris stations: Lil’ General at the corner of Tyson and Wood Streets and the Maverick station on Memorial Drive.
 
“We can’t control the state’s project, but having jobs for our employees is something we can control,” he said, “and no one will be out of a job.”
 
State Rep. Tim Wirgau has been a “big help” in negotiating with the TDOT during this process, he said, “But it’s just out of our control at this point. Like I said, we originally thought we could work it out with the state, but then they changed their plans.”
 
Cox Oil Co. is located in Union City and owns numerous gas stations/convenience stores in the area.