Louisiana’s Closest Buc-ee’s Provides New Opening Details

Fans of the giant travel center Buc-ee's across Louisiana are cautiously optimistic when they take a look at their calendars. That's because fans of Buc-ee's brisket, Beaver Nuggets, and clean restrooms know that very soon two new locations of Buc-ee's will be opening close to and actually inside Louisiana's borders.

The first Louisiana location of Buc-ee's in Ruston, Louisiana is still a year or so away. All the rumors, confirmed rumors, and unsubstantiated rumors about a Buc-ee's in or near Lafayette, Louisiana continue to suggest a store near the I-10 and I-49 Interchange several years down the road.

That brings us to the Buc-ee's that is being constructed less than 30 short minutes east of the Louisiana/Mississippi state line in Harrison County, Mississippi. Construction of the new facility is well underway.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation continues working on infrastructure improvements around the Menge Ave location of Buc-ee's that should make getting in and out of that location less of a hellish nightmare than those who have stopped at the Lower Alabama location of the travel center. 

We do know that in Harrison County developers opted to build a whole new overpass over I-10 for Buc-ee's. The new overpass offers five lanes of traffic as opposed to just two. There have also been improvements in the roadways leading up to the new location which should make stopping less arduous.

Buc-ee's has issued a target opening date as sometime in the first quarter of 2025. The bridge leading across I-10 should be open several weeks before the store officially opens. This will give transportation officials time to evaluate traffic patterns and how to avoid delays.

And from the "we are just throwing this out there" department comes this speculation. What if Amtrak passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama could include a stop at Buc-ee's?  I know people who would buy that ticket since I already know people who drive from Louisiana to Texas just to get Buc-ee's snacks.