A fast-charging Tesla charging station is under construction on the parking lot of the west side of the Salem Subway restaurant.
The city of Salem has issued a $120,000 building permit to a subsidiary of Tesla to construct the Super Chargers facility that will have 12 charging positions.
The owner of the Subway, Rachel Wallace, says she has granted Tesla an easement to utilize the space and she will not be involved in its operation.
The facility is expected to be completed by mid-December.
Wallace says she approved of the project because she hopes it will draw Tesla drivers off Interstate 57 to Salem and will also help create business for the Subway restaurant.
Salem Mayor Nic Farley, a Tesla owner, says all owners will have the Salem location listed on their app which can be used to access the charging station. He’s also optimistic it will draw traffic off the interstate to eat and shop.
Wallace has also announced she has finally reached an agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation over an entrance and exit off West Main Street for a new Scooters Drive-Through coffee shop she plans to construct on a vacant lot on the east side of Subway. She reports construction is slated for sometime this summer. Once started, it will take ten to 12 weeks for the building to be completed. Wallace is building a number of Scooters in southern Illinois, including one in Centralia that is already open.
