One of Johnson Avenue’s oldest and busiest businesses is about to see major work to the tune of millions of dollars.

During the most recent meeting of the Bridgeport Development Authority, Community Development Director Andrea Kerr announced that Sheetz had filed a permit to renovate the store on Johnson Avenue.

The permit was $5.1 million.

Heading into this week, Kerr was not sure if the project is a total demolition of the building or gutting of the interior. She was not certain if it would be closed during the project. She said a question came up after reviewing the plans that led her to contact corporate offices.

“Their plans showed that their exterior wall is to remain, but they gave us foundation under-slab plumbing plans,” Kerr told the BDA last week. “It seems odd to me that they would keep an existing wall and do footers and foundations.”

On Monday morning, Kerr said corporate answered her concerns. She said the plan is to leave the exterior walls. The only remaining question was whether they were going to try to do a phased gutting of the interior and find a way to leave the store open. In the afternoon, she was told the store would be closed, but no timeline was given for that, when the work would start, or an anticipated completion date.

“We anticipate that this will start before the end of the year,” said Kerr.

Kerr added that the gas canopies will be redone. She said work on the gas tanks is also included.

Convenience Architecture and Design, of Claysburg, Pa., is the architect on record for the project.