Dinesh Patel, his family, the Pilot team, Chicopee stakeholders and elected officials gather to celebrate the grand opening of the Pilot travel center located at 357 Burnett Road.
Reminder Publishing photos by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — Local developer Dinesh Patel, in partnership with DVR Ventures and Pilot, hosted a grand opening on April 8 for a new Pilot Travel Center located at 357 Burnett Road.
According to a Pilot press release, the site expands Pilot’s growing network and offers an elevated travel experience, a host of preferred amenities and brings career opportunities to the Chicopee community. Pilot has more than 900 locations in 44 states and five Canadian provinces, serving an average of 1.2 million guests per day.
“We are proud to serve the Chicopee community with this new travel center,” Pilot Operations Business Development Vice President Sam Edgmon said. “Whether you’re fueling up on your daily commute or passing through and need a place to refuel, refresh and recharge. We look forward to helping you make the most of every mile.”
The ceremony featured many stakeholders, including state Rep. Shirley Arriaga, representatives from Chicopee Mayor John Vieau’s office and other local and state elected leaders, as well.
“From the very beginning, this project is about not just building a travel center, but it is about serving the people and the local community,” Patel said. “Chicopee always stays in our heart because this is a unique location. It is a strategic location, and Chicopee always brings continued growth.”
This long-anticipated development was described as more than just a travel center. Leaders also described it as an investment into the local neighborhood.
Patel said the travel center can serve many different demographics, including truck drivers “who are keeping the economy alive right now, families passing through Western Massachusetts, and local residents who will stop by for the food, gas and diesel.”
“This parcel will bring jobs, economic activity, a reliable and high-quality stop to the travelers, but more importantly, it represents the investment of the community and the people who will use everything we have here,” Patel added.
The travel center will also serve as a solution to the persistent traffic congestion along Burnett Road, according to Pilot. Eighteen-wheel tractor-trailers and other large trucks have notoriously clogged the area’s roads.
At the groundbreaking event in August 2025, Patel said that he paid for an intensive traffic study conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The study showed that the new Pilot Travel Center will offer a safe, accessible location for trucks to refuel and exit without ever having to travel down Burnett Road.
Besides offering traffic relief and improving safety, the project will also have an economic impact. Pilot was projected to contribute nearly $1 million annually in local taxes, including real estate, gas and meals taxes.
Key features of the new travel center include a modern, open-concept store design, new Pilot eats foodservice, restrooms and showers, four self-checkouts for a faster and more convenient shopping experience, large beverage coolers for a wide selection of drinks, and a mobile fueling and exclusive in-app offers available through the Pilot app.
Through its Miles of Good initiative, Pilot supports the communities it serves by focusing on education, safety and veterans, according to the organization. As part of this ongoing commitment, the grand opening ceremony included a $20,000 donation to Chicopee Public Schools, which will support its Family and Community Engagement team with funding for a series of end-of-year and back-to-school events.
Chicopee Public School Family and Community Engagement Facilitator Kristen Coelho was at the event with Assistant Superintendent Carol Kruser to accept the donation and explain how the funds will help.
“We are extremely grateful for this donation for Chicopee Public Schools and our Family and Community Engagement Department,” Coelho stated. “This will allow us to really extend and bring much more programming to Chicopee, our school system. I’m looking forward to hosting many parent academies. We have a lot of workshops in the works, we have literacy nights, cultural celebrations and many more opportunities to offer our families and engage with them in the community.”
The grand opening has been a long time coming. The City Council unanimously voted against the original plan in 2022, and the decision was upheld in the Hampden Superior Court after the applicant filed for appeal in June 2024.
The project was approved in December 2024 during a City Council meeting, where the council voted to approve licenses for a truck stop and travel center on Burnett Road. A groundbreaking ceremony occurred on Aug. 12, 2025.
“I want to express how proud we are officially to open as a Pilot travel center in Chicopee,” Patel stated. “This is a family business.”
For a limited time, there will be special offers available for guests who download the Pilot app on their phones.
