KEY TAKEAWAYS:   Buc-ee’s first Louisiana store in Ruston is ahead of schedule for a 2027 opening   Construction progress includes slab work, buried fuel tanks and upcoming wall installation   Project expected to bring 200 jobs and attract 15,000 vehicles daily   City investing millions in infrastructure upgrades to support development   Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said construction on Buc-ee’s first Louisiana store is “rocking and rolling” with a partial slab already in place, fuel tanks buried and the first walls to be raised this month. “They’re moving fast,” Walker said April 6 in an interview with USA Today Network. Buc-ee’s, a freeway phenomenon, officially broke ground last fall on its Ruston store on Interstate 20 off of the Tarbutton Road exit with officials announcing a target opening of April 2027. “They’re definitely on schedule — or even ahead of schedule — for next year’s opening,” Walker said. A second Louisiana Buc-ee’s in Lafayette has a 2028 target opening. Buc-ee’s founder and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III said his first travel center in Ruston will be a homecoming. Aplin, who opened his first Buc-ee’s in Texas in 1982, was raised in Texas but spent summers working at his grandfather’s general mercantile store in Harrisonburg, Louisiana, which he said planted the seed for business. “It’s our first store in Louisiana; that’s a big deal,” Aplin said in a previous interview with USA Today Network. “This is where my roots are from, so we’re super excited about it.” Buc-ee’s, with its toothy Beaver mascot, has developed a devoted following among travelers who consider the centers tourism destinations rather than just giant convenience stores with specialty foods, endless rows of gas pumps and pristine bathrooms. Every Buc-ee’s has a wide variety of culinary delights like its famous brisket, fudge, jerky and signature Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets, which are similar to caramel popcorn, as well as branded merchandise. Walker said the city has completed it’s $8 million project to upgrade the Tarbutton exchange to accommodate Bucee’s. “We installed the new traffic lights April 2 for the finishing touches,” he said. He said the city will complete a $3 million service road project leading up to Ruston Junior High School  on Tarbutton Road this summer to mitigate potential traffic problems during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up of students. Walker said he expects Buc-ee’s to draw 15,000 vehicles a day. The mayor said his office is also getting inquiries “every day” from businesses that want to locate near Buc-ee’s. Buc-ee’s also owns 40 acres adjacent to its campus for which it will market out-parcels. Walker said the travel center is expected to employ 200 workers and generate commerce throughout the city, Lincoln Parish and the northern Louisiana I-20 corridor. “People will stop here in northern Louisiana at the Buc-ee’s who have never stopped here before,” he said. ...read more read less