After years of anticipation, Buc-ee's has put a date on the start of its Lafayette project.
The company plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony November 9 at 11 a.m. at the future travel-center site near Louisiana Avenue and Interstate 10. The planned 74,000-square-foot store is expected to include roughly 120 fuel positions and nearly 700 parking spaces.
Lafayette Economic Development Authority previously placed the total project investment at approximately $82 million, including about $12.5 million in public infrastructure improvements.
150 Jobs and a Major I-10 Development
The Lafayette project is expected to create at least 150 jobs, with previously announced starting pay of $17 per hour.
The development is significant not only because of the Buc-ee's brand but because of its location at one of Lafayette's major interstate gateways. Public infrastructure improvements associated with the project are intended to accommodate the additional traffic and development around the Louisiana Avenue interchange.
Reports have pointed to an early-2028 completion target, although the company did not announce a firm opening date with the September 30 groundbreaking announcement.
From Announcement to Construction
Buc-ee's selected Lafayette for the project in 2024, but major developments can spend years moving through land acquisition, design, infrastructure and permitting before construction becomes visible.
The November groundbreaking gives the project a concrete next milestone.
For Lafayette, the store will add a large retail employer and another destination along the I-10 corridor. It could also increase development pressure around the interchange as restaurants, hotels and other businesses seek locations near the traffic generated by the travel center.
Louisiana's First Buc-ee's Race
Lafayette is not the only Louisiana community getting a Buc-ee's. A separate store is under development in Ruston.
That creates a small race over which Louisiana location opens first. Current reporting points to the Ruston store being completed before Lafayette, but construction schedules can change.
What is now certain is that the South Louisiana project has moved beyond an announced site. On November 9, Buc-ee's plans to formally break ground in Lafayette.
Source Notes
Acadiana News First/KPLC, Sept. 30, 2026: https://www.kplctv.com/2026/09/30/buc-ees-announces-groundbreaking-lafayette/
WBRZ, Sept. 30, 2026: https://www.wbrz.com/news/buc-ee-s-breaking-ground-on-lafayette-location-in-november-reports-say
Buc-ee's official website: https://buc-ees.com/
