WEST MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD)-- Buc-ees is one step closer to opening their first Louisiana store in Ruston.

On Friday a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the City of Ruston, the state and the Federal Highway of Administration. This document entails of the agreed upon requirements from all participants for the I-20 westbound road from Tarbutton Road to La. 149 in Lincoln Parish.

"We are designing and constructing all the infrastructure that will be on the Tarbutton road interchange, in the interchange as well as the service road," Ruston Public Utility Manager Andrew Halbrook said. "Buc-ees is handling all the infrastructure on site."

Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said it has taken several months of planning to get to this point.

"It's really exciting because we have been working on it for the last 14 months and we're finally able to sign the document that really gets us moving faster towards completion," Walker said.

Walker said it will be a great economic driver for all of Northeast Louisiana.

"We're being told what will probably be 15,000 cars stopping in your parish, in your city everyday," he said. "That's huge, so it will be a huge economic driver not just the City of Ruston but it's be Lincoln Parish and I think for the entire Northeast Louisiana because I feel like people will come to work at Buc-ees from as far as Bossier City or Monroe or wherever."

Walker said it's his understanding that Buc-ees is still on schedule to begin ground break in 2024 and expected to be open in 2025.

Latest news