Lafayette, Louisiana Buc-ee’s Construction On Hold

Lafayette, Louisiana (KPEL) - As Lafayette eagerly awaits the opening of the new Buc-ee's located at the northeast corner of I-10 and Louisiana Avenue, it looks like we'll have to wait a little bit longer.

Construction of the new Lafayette Buc-ee's has now been put on a temporary hold.

Here's what's going on...

When Will Buc-ee's Open In Lafayette, Louisiana?

The Lafayette, Louisiana Buc-ee's location was originally slated to open at some point in 2026.

While it still might see a 2026 opening, there's now a chance that might not happen.

According to KLFY, the Lafayette construction of the 74,000 square feet new Buc-ee's location has been put on a temporary hold.

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So, what's the problem?

The general contractor on the Buc-ee's project, Triton Construction, says the job is currently on hold due to design delays and poor weather conditions.

Triton tells KLFY -

The job is currently at a standstill due to some design delays. The weather has also been terrible.

 

So with those two issues, us (Triton), the general contractor, and owner decided to hold off for now and wait for better weather conditions

The good news is that Triton Construction goes on to say that there are no problems between them and the owner and that everyone is on the same page.

What could the design delays be?

Design delays in construction refer to setbacks in a project's schedule that are caused by issues related to the design phase.

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Although we don't know for certain what the design issues are for sure, they could be due to late design changes or revisions due to unforeseen site conditions, which would make sense due to the weather issues mentioned by the general contractor.

When the Lafayette Buc-ee's does finally open, it will provide roughly 120 gas pumps, and will provide 150 local jobs starting at $17 per.

Mandi Mitchell, President and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) -

“The project is still very much a 'go'. For anyone who is familiar with the construction process, especially on projects that require a hefty amount of fill dirt, excessive rainfall can seriously slow the process for a few reasons: saturation leads to loss of soil strength and load-bearing capacity, and it also leads to uneven settling. Also, the top layers of the dirt are washed away, which required re-grading and more fill dirt. Construction crews MUST carefully manage the moisture content of the fill dirt for effective compaction. Basically, we want our Buc-ee’s to have a solid foundation, so we understand the delays. We’re eagerly looking forward to the 2026 opening date of the Lafayette, LA Buc-ee’s.”

Read more at KLFY.com.