Building Boom at the South Junction

The last year has seen an explosion of construction, new buildings, and new businesses at the south junction of U.S. Highway 60 in Willow Springs. The building boom continues with two new projects helmed by the Montgomery family: the new Bear Crossing Truck Wash and Tire Center and an expansion at Bear Crossing Shopping Center. 

The truck wash and tire center will be an automated semi-truck wash facility. Truckers can choose an automated wash only or upgrade to an option with manual detailing. The tire center will offer both semi-truck tires and passenger tires from Michelin, BF Goodrich, and Uniroyal. 

Erik Montgomery is the Vice President of Coastal FMC in Willow Springs and is the spokesman on behalf of the Montgomery family regarding these projects. He said they are building the truck wash facility as an expansion to suit Coastal’s own growing needs for trucking services and office space, but they had the idea to open these services up to the public as well.

At present, Coastal does all their own tire changing and equipment washing on-site. Montgomery said there is physically not enough space to expand behind the building. Instead, the facility with the expanded capacity will be located next to the eastbound onramp to Highway 60, which will make it more accessible to retail customers. 

Montgomery anticipates Coastal will be the truck wash’s first customer, but his family hopes that the business will be a benefit to the city and citizens of Willow Springs.

“That’s our goal,” he said, “because the city has been wonderful to us.”

The anticipated opening date for Bear Crossing Tire Wash and Tire Center is early fall. 

Bear City Shopping Center will have a new business open at about the same time. A building is currently under construction at the north end of the strip mall. Montgomery said each building in the strip mall has been built to suit a specific business that committed to opening a storefront there. The new addition is no different. For legal reasons, Montgomery cannot disclose at this time which new business will move into the structure this fall. 

At the Willow Springs Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet in January, Erik Montgomery received the Citizen of the Year award in recognition of his contributions to the progress and prosperity at the South Junction. 

“I was very honored. I had no idea what to say,” he said, “It’s not me. It’s my family: my mother and father, my wife. We have a team down here. They’re family. They support me like no other, and I hope they know how much I support them.”

Watch for updates in future editions of Howell County News as we follow the progress at the South Junction in Willow Springs.