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WEST POINT — The City of West Point, Georgia, is closing in on its bicentennial. A small village on two sides of the Chattahoochee River was named Franklin in 1828. It got its current name in 1832 because of its proximity to the westernmost bend of the river.

West Point is easily seen when crossing the John C. Barrow Bridge. Many stores have come and gone in the city’s nearly 200-year history, but one under construction is like nothing the town has seen.

A Love’s Travel Stop & Country Store is going up on a 20-acre site just off Exit 2 on I-85. It’s by far the largest site for a single commercial business in the city’s history. Everything about Love’s is big.

There will be plenty of pumps on the front side of the store for passenger cars and even more on the back side where the diesel pumps will be for the big trucks. There will be a tire store on the back side to do its part in keeping America’s truck fleet moving up and down our Interstates.

Work is nearing completion on what will no doubt be the tallest sign ever in the city. The Love’s sign will be 185 feet in the air when its first turned on.

Travelers entering Georgia from Alabama will be able to see it for some distance up I-85. A hole was recently dug over 40 feet in the ground to place the huge tower’s base. That will give it plenty of stability. At ground level, that mammoth tower is some nine feet across.

As far as signposts go, that’s pretty darn big!

Love’s didn’t plan for just a little traffic coming by. They are planning to be busy in West Point all the time.

The local public will like having lots and lots of gas pumps outside and lots and lots of neat stuff inside. The new Love’s will have a Hardee’s and a Godfather’s Pizza.

Founded in 1964, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

There are more than 500 of them in 41 states. One of them is located off Exit 28 in Hogansville. It’s a busy place on a six-acre site and generates more sales tax each year than any other commercial business in Troup County except for Walmart in LaGrange.

West Point Mayor Steve Tramell is expecting big things from Love’s.

“They have an opening date for November, but the way they are going up with it, I think they may open before then,” he said. “This is going to be a big thing for our city. I am glad to see them coming.”