Louisiana has waited through multiple projected opening dates, but the state still has two Buc-ee’s projects in development. The more advanced project is covered in the latest update on Louisiana’s first Buc-ee’s, while the second store near Lafayette is following a longer timetable.
The two travel centers will serve different parts of the state. Ruston is positioned along Interstate 20 in northern Louisiana, while Lafayette would put Buc-ee’s beside Interstate 10 in the heart of Acadiana.
That gives Buc-ee’s access to Louisiana’s two major east-west travel corridors—and explains why the company remains committed despite the delays.
Ruston is expected to open first
Ruston’s Buc-ee’s is under construction at Interstate 20 and Tarbutton Road. According to the company, the store will occupy 74,000 square feet and offer 120 fueling positions—the same specifications as Buc-ee’s other current builds.
The project is expected to create more than 200 full-time jobs, with reported starting wages around $18 an hour. Ruston is also investing in supporting infrastructure, including a new service road funded in part by a $6 million state appropriation, designed to handle the thousands of additional vehicles the travel center could attract each day.
Buc-ee’s has targeted an April 2027 opening, and Mayor Ronny Walker said this spring that the project is on schedule or even ahead of it, with a partial slab poured, fuel tanks buried and walls going up. Some city-side estimates have described the opening more broadly as mid-2027.
Either way, Ruston should become Louisiana’s first Buc-ee’s. Its location will serve local residents, Louisiana Tech traffic and long-distance travelers moving between Shreveport, Monroe, Jackson and destinations farther east. Founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, who spent summers working at his grandfather’s store in Harrisonburg, has called the Ruston opening a homecoming.
Lafayette is taking longer
The second Louisiana Buc-ee’s is planned near Interstate 10 and Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette, close to the I-10/I-49 interchange. That location could eventually become one of the chain’s most important Gulf Coast stops, serving drivers traveling between Houston, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
But Lafayette is not opening soon.
The project’s expected completion moved to 2028 after design delays and weather setbacks paused work at the site—well past its original 2026 target. More recent local reporting suggests the store could be tracking somewhat ahead of that revised forecast, but Buc-ee’s has not moved the public date off 2028.
That means Ruston could operate for a year or more before southern Louisiana gets its own Buc-ee’s. The delay does not mean Lafayette has been canceled. It means the project remains at an earlier stage and still has more construction work ahead than Ruston.
Two projects, two very different timelines
Louisiana residents should separate confirmed progress from optimistic old dates. Ruston is the near-term project, with a company target of April 2027. Lafayette remains planned for 2028, and that schedule could still change in either direction.
When both are complete, Louisiana will have Buc-ee’s locations on I-20 and I-10, covering two distinct travel markets. For now, however, Ruston is clearly in front—and appears positioned to bring Buc-ee’s to Louisiana first.
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment