The Bryan County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night approved rezoning 20 acres at I-16 and Highway 280 at the request of Oklahoma-based Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc.

The land was rezoned from a mix of industrial and agricultural to commercial. The five parcels run along Highway 280 between exit 143 on I-16 to Interstate Centre Boulevard near the county’s Interstate Centre industrial park.

Although the vote was unanimous, Commissioner Rick Gardner expressed some concerns.

“We need to make sure the traffic studies are done correctly so that everything flows getting off and on the interstate,” he said. “Our experience along I-95 with truck stops shows us how it should not be done.”

Love’s has a current location already in Bryan County at exit 87 on I-95. There also is a large amount of semi-truck traffic at exit 90 on I-95, and construction is expected to start soon on a new I-95 interchange at Belfast Keller Road.

Commissioners also approved spending $593,690 to resurface parts of Harveytown Road, Ash Branch Road and Bailey Plantation Drive. Another $275,137 was approved for upgrades to Hendrix Park, including field improvements, a concession stand with restrooms and new bleachers.