Buc-ee’s officially held its groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, November 9th, 2026, for its new travel center coming soon to 3400 Louisiana Avenue, at the northeast corner of I-10 & Louisiana Ave. in Lafayette, Louisiana.
The long-awaited $82 million development will include a more than 74,000-square-foot travel center with 120 fuel pumps and nearly 700 parking spaces. The overall project involves close to 42 acres, along with significant public infrastructure improvements to accommodate the development.
Among those in attendance at the groundbreaking were Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet, Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) President and CEO Mandi Mitchell, Lafayette City Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux, and several other local and state officials.
During the ceremony, Mitchell shared some of the history behind bringing Buc-ee’s to Lafayette, a process she says started more than a decade ago. Early conversations took place as far back as 2014, with additional efforts in 2016 that ultimately did not move forward.
In 2022, Mitchell and the LEDA team revisited the opportunity, eventually making contact with Aplin and beginning what would become nearly three years of work to secure the development.
“Buc-ee’s builds big, and moves with precision. So we had to match that,” said Mitchell, referring to the amount of coordination required between local government, state agencies, and infrastructure partners to make the project possible.
Buc-ee’s Swag… and yes, I snagged
Swag tables valued at what, $2,000? joking, but almost…
That coordination included zoning, transportation improvements, utility relocations, the creation of a special economic development district, and a competitive incentive package. The Castille family, who owned the property for generations, also played a significant role in keeping the project moving forward.
Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux, who was involved in some of the earliest conversations with Aplin, reflected on the years of work that went into bringing Buc-ee’s to Lafayette and finally being able to see the project become a reality.
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Governor Landry spoke about the challenges involved in working with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to make this project happen.
Landry explained that Aplin, having developed Buc-ee’s travel centers along many major highways throughout the Gulf South, understands interstate access and traffic flow better than DOTD itself. He recalled telling department officials that they needed to work with Buc-ee’s to get the project done.
“He knows interstate intersections better than we know them. He’s got his places built across the South. And if he doesn’t come to Louisiana, there’s gonna be less people in DOTD,” said Landry, jokingly.
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Aplin spoke about the challenges of getting the project to this point, crediting the Castille family, local leadership, and Governor Landry for their persistence to the project and seeing it through.
“We’ve been kind of fighting and banging our head against this for over a decade,” said Aplin, who also shared that his family has deep Louisiana roots, despite his being born and raised in Texas.
Aplin also emphasized Buc-ee’s commitment to creating high-paying, livable-wage jobs in the communities where the company operates.
According to Mitchell, the development is expected to support more than 300 direct and indirect jobs while generating $257 million in present-value personal income over the next 25 years.
Construction on the Lafayette Buc-ee’s is finally moving along at a much faster pace with foundation, fuel tanks, and several key groundwork components happening right now.
As for an opening date, Aplin shared during the ceremony that Buc-ee’s of Lafayette is targeting a grand opening around February 2028.
For more about Buc-ee’s, visit https://buc-ees.com.
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Current date aerial photos (6 large ahh fuel takes)
