Walmart Plans a $400 Million Robotic Distribution Center Near San Antonio, a Future Stop for Texas Truckers
A new Walmart distribution center is planned northeast of San Antonio, and it is expected to be built around robotics. Walmart is planning a $400 million facility in Cibolo, Texas, according to the San Antonio Express-News, as reported by FreightWaves in its Nov. 1 Borderlands Mexico roundup. This is a plan, and the details below are as reported. Big Rig Daily did not open the Express-News article, which FreightWaves cites.
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What is planned
The project is identified as "Project Theo." According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, it includes a 712,500-square-foot warehouse and a connected 31,933-square-foot office building on about 126 acres at 3641 S. Santa Clara Road.
Timeline
Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2027, with completion expected in August 2029. That makes it a freight story for later years, not for this quarter's loads.
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Jobs and incentives
The project is expected to create at least 425 full-time jobs that pay above the San Antonio metropolitan area's median salary. Cibolo officials previously approved an incentive package valued at about $32.5 million, including a 75% property tax abatement for 10 years.
City officials have described the building as a next-generation distribution center that will use robotics, advanced warehouse equipment and employees to run automated operations.
Why the location matters for trucks
The site would expand Walmart's distribution footprint along the Interstate 35 and Interstate 10 corridors. FreightWaves describes them as major freight arteries connecting San Antonio, Austin and other Texas markets. A large distribution center means trucks coming in and going out, though the reports reviewed do not give truck counts or say how many dock doors the building will have.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not say how automation will change the way trucks are loaded or unloaded, how long truckers might wait at the dock, or which carriers will haul for the site. Those are open questions, and Big Rig Daily is not predicting answers.
More Texas freight news
Big Rig Daily has covered the national diesel price and forecast that affects every Texas lane and a report on a Border Patrol stop at a Laredo checkpoint.
Quick facts
- Where: Cibolo, Texas, northeast of San Antonio, at 3641 S. Santa Clara Road.
- Cost: $400 million. Code name: Project Theo.
- Size: 712,500-square-foot warehouse plus a 31,933-square-foot office building on about 126 acres.
- Timeline: construction starts February 2027, completion August 2029.
- Jobs: at least 425 full-time.
- Incentives: about $32.5 million, including a 75% property tax abatement for 10 years.
FAQ
When will the Cibolo Walmart distribution center open?
Completion is expected in August 2029, with construction starting in February 2027.
How many jobs will the Cibolo Walmart center create?
At least 425 full-time jobs, paying above the San Antonio area's median salary.
Which highways are near the Cibolo Walmart center?
The site is described as part of Walmart's growth along the I-35 and I-10 corridors.
A question for readers
Truckers, is a high-tech warehouse good news for you, or just a faster way to be asked to wait?
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Sources
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