by Malcolm Butler
Ruston mayor Ronny Walker makes it a weekly — sometimes daily — goal to take a trip out to Tarbutton Road to view the progress on the dirt work and ultimate construction of Buc-ee’s.
And although concrete hasn’t been poured, there has been plenty of preconstruction work taking place since October’s groundbreaking ceremony where founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III told hundreds of attendees that he was “a little emotional” hearing Governor Jeff Landry say he was “living the American Dream.”
“I am living it in color now,” said Aplin.
Since that late October ceremony, plenty of red clay of north Louisiana has been pushed around in the 30-plus acre footprint that will eventually become Buc-ee’s. And Walker has been following it with eager anticipation.
“They are moving a lot of dirt,” said Walker.
A lot of dirt.
This week crews have begun forming the foundation for what will eventually be a 74,000 square foot travel center, the first of its kind in the state of Louisiana.
Since the original announcement in January of 2023, there has been plenty of speculation of whether Buc-ee’s would ever truly call Lincoln Parish home due to delays, mostly with the Department of Transportation and Development.
With all of those hurdles cleared, the project is moving forward with an anticipated opening in August of 2027.
“These things usually take 16 to 18 months to build,” said Aplin.
