Louisiana’s Closest Buc-ee’s Breaks Ground – When Will it Open?

If you ask someone from Louisiana "What's the difference between a beaver and a nutria" the answer you'll get is probably along the lines of "One is a swamp rat and the other is a swamp rat with clean restrooms". Okay, nobody from any state anywhere would say that but based on conversations I have had along the I-10 corridor people from Lake Charles to Lafayette to Baton Rouge and New Orleans get pretty darn excited when someone mentions "The New Buc-ee's".

Now, let's be clear, There will come a day when we, the good people of Louisiana will actually have a Buc-ee's travel center location built on our sovereign soil. That won't happen for a few years and unfortunately, it's going to happen along I-20 near Ruston.

For Louisiana Beaver Nugget buyers who dwell along the I-10 corridor, our current best Buc-ee's locations are Baytown Texas, or Baldwin Alabama. But there is good news, at least for those that are east of Lafayette, your new closest Buc-ee's is officially under construction.

The "beaver's big wigs" were in Harrison County Mississippi yesterday to stick a shovel in the soil and officially break ground on a new 74,000-square-foot travel center location. The Mississippi Buc-ee's will be one of the company's new prototype locations and will have 120 fueling positions including charging stations for electric vehicles.

Those close to the construction timeline of the I-10 Buc-ee's say the travel center should open in the spring of 2025. It's expected to bring some 200 jobs to the local economy and spur a large amount of retail growth near the Menge Avenue Exit off I-10 in Harrison County, Mississippi.

The new Gulf Coast Buc-ee's will be approximately 175 miles east of Lafayette on I-10 which is a whole 21 miles closer than the Baytown Texas location. Of course, you do have to take the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge and Baton Rouge traffic into consideration. Hell, it might be quicker to wait for them to finish building the one in Ruston. But then, you'd still have to go to Ruston, wouldn't you?