Construction of the Buc-ee’s store in Lafayette has been delayed and is now expected to be complete in 2028.
A document on the company’s website gives new expected opening dates for several locations across the United States and shows the Lafayette site is expected to open about two years later than the initially announced 2026 target date.
Buc-ee’s officials declined to comment Thursday.
When Buc-ee’s bought the 42 acres at the northeast corner of Interstate 10 and Louisiana Avenue in December, it indicated construction on the $82 million project would begin early 2025 and the store would open in the second quarter of 2026.
This list on Buc-ee's website indicates scheduled openings for locations under construction.
Site work began earlier this year, but frequent rains and others factors resulted in an initial delay on the project. There's been no significant activity at the site for weeks.
Scott-based Triton Construction, the general contractor on the project, told Developing Lafayette last month that construction was paused temporarily because of a combination of design delays and poor weather conditions.
Messages left at Triton on Thursday were not returned.
Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, indicated last month the fill dirt on the property needs to settle properly before the next step can begin, and because of frequent rains the site now requires re-grading and more fill dirt.
Contacted Thursday, both Mitchell and Mayor-President Monique Boulet were unaware of the project's revised completion date.
If construction takes 16 months, an estimate of construction starting would be anywhere from mid-2026 to early 2027. Plans include a 74,000-square-foot store along with about 120 gas pumps and nearly 700 parking spaces along with public infrastructure improvements to Louisiana Avenue.
LEDA predicts it to generate $1.5 million in sales tax collections a year and employ 150.
The delay would not be in violation of the cooperative endeavor agreement between Buc-ee’s and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, documents show.
It indicates the company "shall use its best efforts" to complete the project within 36 months after all permits required to construct the facility are obtained. The project has not been issued a building permit from Lafayette Consolidated Government.
A similar project in Kansas City was also put on hold, reports indicate. Work was scheduled to begin in June but got pushed back until late this month or early next month.
The report did not reveal a reason for the delay.
Another project in Kentucky was also delayed in order for surrounding road construction to begin, reports indicate. That project, which was set to begin this summer and be complete by fall 2026, now will likely begin in early next year.
Work on the Ruston location, which early projections indicated it would have opened this year, is now expected to open in 2027. Work is continuing on road construction around the site.
