Vestal Parkway Speedway Store Closed for Big Tank Replacement Job

One of Broome County's busiest convenience stores is being shut down for several weeks during a construction project.

The Speedway unit on the Vestal Parkway near the Binghamton University campus is closed while gasoline and diesel fuel tanks are replaced.

A worker at the site said the job started earlier this month. It is expected to take a few more weeks to complete.

Rented portable tanks and large excavation equipment now fill the store's parking lot. The store's old gas pumps and underground tanks have been removed.

The job is being done by Paragon Environmental Construction of Brewerton.

The phone at the Speedway store was not answered on Wednesday. Speedway stores now are owned by 7-Eleven Incorporated. Company representatives could not be reached for information on when the Vestal Parkway location would resume operations.

Gasoline tank replacement projects are dangerous. A Syracuse man was killed in September 2019 at a similar job at the Speedway store on Front Street in the town of Dickinson.

The man was draining water while inside a 10,000-gallon tank. He was using a drill when gasoline vapors ignited, causing a fire. Investigators said 57-year-old Arthur Hines was "caught in the explosion and killed."

Environmental Products and Services of Vermont was fined $204,000 for several "serious" safety violations following an investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.