Groundbreaking for Buc-ee’s first Louisiana store on Ruston’s western border may be delayed because the company is commissioning a traffic study it needs before the city receives state approval to build the Interstate 20 service road and associated infrastructure can obtain, which are needed for the huge travel center.
“It just takes a long time to complete these types of projects,” said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker. “None of this is unexpected. It won’t affect the schedule significantly – if at all.”
The USA Today Network first reported on the project in January. The city, the Lincoln Parish School Board, and the Lincoln Parish Police Jury all subsequently approved a tax incentive package that got the project off the ground.
But the city still needs state approval to build, which Walker estimates will cost $24 million for infrastructure support, most notably the new service road, and the state’s help to fund it.
Walker said he is working with lawmakers and Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration to secure a portion of the cost in the upcoming legislative session that begins April 10.
Jade West, the city’s director of economic development, said Buc-ee’s has not reported any changes in its schedule, which company officials say includes breaking ground sometime this year and opening in 2025.
“They remain excited about the project and we’re excited to get the first Buc-ees in Louisiana,” West said.
Buc-ee’s has built a fanatical following
Headquartered in Lake Jackson, Texas, the company has more than 40 stores in seven southern states but none in Louisiana. In 2016, Buc-ee’s announced preliminary plans to build its first Louisiana store in Baton Rouge, but scrapped the project in 2017.
But the company has its roots in Louisiana, where Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin III spent his childhood summers working at his grandfather’s general store.
“On Christmas Day, my father, Arch Aplin Jr. (who is 97 years old) with his grandchildren, reminisced about growing up in the Aplin family’s grocery store in Harrisonburg, Louisiana,” Beaver said in a statement to USA Today Network. “For our family, opening a Buc-ee’s in Louisiana is like coming home. We are so excited to have Buc-ee coming to Ruston.”
The story goes on
Buc-ee’s has secured 84 acres of land on the north side of the new I-20 Tarbutton Exchange. Ruston closed the $25 million Tarbutton Exchange in 2019. The travel center will be directly across from Ruston Junior High School.
Harrisonburg High School senior Jacob Thompson and Kathy Spann celebrate Buc-ee Day at the school on January 12, 2022.
The travel center will occupy an area of 30 acres, with more than 50 acres remaining for further development.
Walker estimated the project will involve a $50-60 million development with a 53,000-square-foot campus and 120 gas pumps.
More:The origin story of Buc-ee began in Louisiana in a general store in tiny Harrisonburg
Buc-ee’s will create at least 200 new full-time positions starting at $16 an hour, plus benefits such as three weeks of paid time off and a $401,000 plan with a company supplement.
Buc-ee’s, with its toothy Beaver mascot, has developed a cult following among travelers who see the stores as tourist destinations rather than just a giant supermarket.
Each Buc-ee’s offers a variety of meat jerky and roasted nuts, as well as other culinary delights like signature Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets (similar to caramel popcorn), fudge, brisket, and sausage sticks.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared in the Shreveport Times: Here’s the latest on Louisiana’s first Buc-ee’s: Will there be a delay?
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