SPEEDWAY GAS STATION AT 466 SOUTH MAIN: PERMANENTLY CLOSED

By Tyler Beadle

Bishop, CA – January 26, 2026

For years, the Speedway gas station on the south end of Bishop – right at 466 South Main Street – has been a go-to spot for locals grabbing fuel, snacks, or a quick coffee on the way to the hills. But as of late November 2025, the pumps are gone, the tanks have been pulled, and the site is officially vacated. After digging through hundreds of pages from a California Public Records Act request to LADWP (the landowner), the story is clear: this closure is permanent.

The lease – Business Lease No. BL-1507 – originally kicked off back in April 2010 with a 15-year term, meaning it was set to wrap up on March 31, 2025. It rolled month-to-month for a bit after that, but 7-Eleven (operating through its Speedway brand and legacy entities like Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC) sent formal notice to LADWP on November 14, 2025: the station closed as of November 3, and the lease would fully terminate effective November 30, 2025. Rent was paid through November, and the letter stated all required property had been removed.

What you’re seeing on-site right now – the missing pumps, the digging crews – ties directly to California’s single-walled underground storage tank (UST) deadline. State law required all single-walled tanks to be upgraded to double-walled or permanently closed by December 31, 2025, to protect groundwater. This Bishop location had legacy tanks: a gasoline UST abandoned in place back in 1998, and a diesel one removed in 2013. Excavation started in early November 2025, with crews digging down 8–9 feet in the tank areas, hitting sand fill, geotextile fabric, pea gravel, and eventually native soil. Photos and logs from LADWP site visits confirm the work was part of final decommissioning – not upgrades for reopening.

There were some early discussions about keeping things going. In July and August 2025, 7-Eleven floated the idea of a wholesale operator running the convenience store only while permitting new tanks (a 12–15 month process). There was even interest from a potential buyer/operator reaching out to LADWP. But none of that panned out. By fall, the focus shifted fully to tank removal, site restoration (grading or limited repaving), and walking away.

This isn’t unique to Bishop. Hundreds of gas stations across California shut down around the same deadline because upgrading tanks can run $100,000 to over $2 million per site – especially for older or lower-volume locations. Post-2021, after 7-Eleven’s parent company acquired Speedway, they’ve been reviewing portfolios and closing spots that don’t make long-term sense.

LADWP, as landlord, followed standard procedures. A 2024 letter from them denied a pending assignment request, citing resource limits and the impending expiration – a sign they weren’t keen on extending or complicating things. No new lease, no new tenant, no reversal in the records. I reached out to 7-Eleven corporate media relations for comment on the closure, the termination notice, and any possibility of future use or redevelopment at the site. As of publication, I have not received a response.

For folks in Bishop, it means one less gas option on the south end. I was hoping the drive in carwash would reopen, but that doesn’t seem to be the case or at least for now. If you’re hearing rumors of reopening, the documents don’t support it – this looks like a done deal tied to the lease end, compliance costs, and business decisions. If anything changes – new operator, redevelopment – it’ll show up in future records or on the ground. For now, the Speedway at 466 South Main is history. Another piece of the Eastern Sierra landscape shifting with the times. Questions or tips? Reach out at [email protected]. Stay safe out there.

Sierra Wave Media reached out to LADWP and they had no additional comments.