By Malcolm Butler
Misinformation.
That’s the term Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker uses to describe some recent media reports — mainly coming from other parts of the state — that the timeline for Buc-ee’s coming to Ruston has been delayed.
And frankly, Walker just shakes his head and grins when he reads or hears the rumors.
“Total complete misinformation,” said Walker. “From Day 1 the date has always been sometime in 2025. And that’s where we are still at.
“I would say just wait and see. We know what has been done. We know what is being done. And I can’t see anything at this point of time that would stop it. I don’t have a crystal ball, but everything I’m seeing says its right on schedule.”
Walker recalls the first meeting when Buc-ee’s representative Stan Beard came to Ruston.
“At the beginning it was Beaver (Aplin) and myself,” said Walker. “Then as Beaver said, ‘We have gotten it to the two-yard line and we just need to get someone to push it across the goal-line.’ He said that will be my guy, Stan Beard.
“So in the first meeting that Stan was at, we were sitting in my conference room and I made the comment, ‘If ya’ll come …’ He stopped me and said, ‘Mayor, let me explain something. If I am here, that means we are coming to Ruston.'”
Since the announcement about the nation’s most popular travel center broke in January, plenty has been written by media outlets throughout the state. Most of it positive. But some of it with more of a negative tone from other areas around the state.
After all, Lincoln Parish will be the beneficiary of a business that will completely change the geographical footprint around Tarbutton and the bottom line within the parish.
“For the people out there saying there is no way, yes, there is a way,” said Walker. “A lot of people said we couldn’t get $6 million for the road and we got it. I just wish people would get on board instead of being naysayers. We have way too many good things happening in Ruston and Lincoln Parish.”
According to Walker, the traffic study that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development requires should be complete by the end of August — completing the six-month study on time.
“The great thing is we already have the $6 million that we don’t have to go find it,” said Walker, referring to the state appropriation that will fund Phase 1 of the road infrastructure around Tarbutton. “It’s been approved by the House and the Senate and the Governor has signed off on it. We can start working on the roads once all the planning is done.”
Phase 1 includes the roadways that will be built around Tarbutton Road, allowing all traffic to enter and exit off of I-20 and to access Buc-ee’s.
Walker said the engineering firm is Stantec, a company based out of Baton Rouge. Stantec is the same engineering company that the City hired to complete the Tarbutton exchange at the beginning of Walker’s first term as Mayor.
He said the engineers have already begun work on the plan and are just waiting for the completed traffic study.
“What do we do to make an additional 15,000 cars a day move more efficiently within the confines of what we have there,” said Walker. “This is what you would do for any business coming to that location.
“The engineers have already been working on this and will take what is in that study and implement it into their design. Their design might right now say one thing and the study might show something a little different. That’s what they will mesh together. All the study does is tell the state what needs to happen for the current traffic and the future traffic that will be coming.”
Walker said following the completion of the current traffic study, an Interstate Modification Report (IMR) would be next. It’s a federal report that can’t begin until the current traffic study is complete.
“Most of the data the (IMR) needs will come from the traffic study,” said Walker. “The IMR could take six months, eight months, a year. But the engineers can start the design based on the traffic study. Some of that could be at risk because they don’t know the IMR will approve that but they think it’s going to so they can start working. The engineers can work somewhat in conjunction with IMR.”
The IMR will provide direction on the plan to change how traffic gets onto I-20 going west. Walker said the existing on-ramp simply won’t be adequate with the amount of traffic expected.
Walker said he feels the biggest hurdle remaining is the IMR.
“That’s dealing with federal highway,” said Walker. “But this isn’t the first Buc-ee’s that has ever been built. So they know what is needed.
“Bottom line come February or March of 2024, we hope the two studies are finished. We have that a lot of the engineering is done. And if it all meshes together correctly, then it can go out for bids.”
