By Malcolm Butler
It’s been almost two years since the City of Ruston and officials from Buc-ee’s announced that the widely popular travel center was coming to Lincoln Parish.
And although progress has been slow due to traffic studies and the normal Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) requirements, Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said again on Thursday that it is going to be a reality.
“The City of Ruston will be spending somewhere between $8 and $10 million on infrastructure work as far as roads,” said Walker. “And I’m really referring to redoing the existing Tarbutton (Road) Interchange; things like that. Not the interior roads of Buc-ee’s. They will do that.
“Really anything that has to do with the Tarbutton (Road) Interchange. That’s the Tarbutton Road itself and all four exits and entrances and the bridge itself. The bridge will increase from a three-lane to a five-lane bridge.”
Walker referred to the City passing a $15 million bond earlier in 2024 that would pay for this.
“We didn’t know how much this was going to cost so we said $15 million just to be sure,” said Walker. “But we will also have some expenses for water, sewer and electricity. So the $15 million gave us room for all of the infrastructure that has to go into this.
Walker said the bond would be paid through the Tax Incremental District (TID).
“That fund makes it so easy for us to do (these types of projects) along the interstate,” said Walker.
He said the City would bid out that “package” sometime in the month of December with the expectation that the bids would come back in January. The City would then award the project to the lowest bidder in the February City Council meeting.
“They should start working in March,” said Walker. “That is what the hope would be, but we have no control over that.”
So when will construction of Buc-ee’s start?
“We just had an incredibly good conversation with (Sam Beard and Buc-ee’s) today,” said Walker. “We have basically been working on this for 20 months. I was personally getting a little worried are they hanging in there with us?
“They called today to touch base. They said, ‘We heard you were about to start the infrastructure piece.’ I said, ‘Yes, I just want to make sure you guys are still on board 150 percent?’ They said, ‘Absolutely.'”
Although he said he wasn’t 100 percent sure, Walker estimated that the groundbreaking for Buc-ee’s would be in the first quarter of 2025 as well.
“No doubt (they won’t open) until 2026 because it takes 12 to 15 months to build it,” said Walker. “So I think our hope of (it opening in 2025) is more like the second quarter of 2026. That is strictly me speculating.”
Walker said they are still waiting on the DOTD to say they fully approve the plans for the building and the roads and construction can begin.
“We are somewhat building at risk,” said Walker. “That was the reason my discussion with Buc-ee’s was so important today. Buc-ee’s is committed. The City of Ruston is committed. The DOTD has said that it will all be approved, but we don’t have the letter in front of us. So yes, we are somewhat building at risk.
“Everything is on go. We are simply finishing the final stages of the DOTD requirements.”
There are currently plans in the work for two Buc-ee’s to be built in the state of Louisiana as Lafayette will be home to the second.
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