Jolene Bjarnason (left), owner of Diner 242, and Reana Stonehocker, one of the diner's first servers, in front of where the new eatery will go. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

lunchin' at the junction

Junction 42 to welcome the public this fall

Jun 27, 2019 | 3:40 PM

Junction 42 will open this November anchored by a Tim Horton’s, Burger King and 50s retro drive-in restaurant.

The new rest stop situated west of the QEII on north side Highway 42 at Penhold and is part of a larger plan Red Deer County has to build out the area commercially over the next several years.

Mayor Jim Wood was very excited to be on site Thursday to break ground “Red Deer County-style,” in a backhoe.

“This is going to be a very successful location and it is going to bring tax dollars to not just Red Deer County, but this is going to bring economy to the region,” he said.

“It’s going to create jobs, it’s going to provide a very essential service that’s necessary because as we transition out of Gasoline Alley for some of these trucks, they’re definitely needing a place to stop.”

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Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood breaks ground at Junction 42, “Red Deer County-style,” he said. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

As for the eatery, which will be called Diner 242, owner Jolene Bjarnason says it will be the whole experience, including Saturday nights which will feature carhop service, an antique car show, and a drive-in movie.

“Everything’s going to be homemade; mile high coconut cream pie, homemade jam, and pork chops,” said Bjarnason, whose family currently runs a catering company out of Innisfail.

“My husband’s a truck driver and his biggest beef is that when he stops somewhere at night, there’s nothing homemade. When youre away from home all the time, it’s nice to have something that’s home-cooked.”

Junction 42 will have gas service for both bigger trucks and regular-sized vehicles from Petro-Canada, as well as two electric vehicle chargers. There has been interest from car washes and lube shops to move in as well.

Construction is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.