LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)-The construction of the highly anticipated Buc-ee’s travel center in Lafayette has been delayed by two more years.

This announcement comes after the general contractor on the project, Triton Construction, said the project is on pause due to design delays and poor weather conditions.

Lake Charles native Carl Lejeune says he is disappointed in the delay.

“Man that’s really sad because it’s such a great place, it has so much variety in there,” said Lejeune.

Lejeune says cities on the I-10 corridor could all benefit from the travel center.

“I mean it’s food, there’s things you can buy, fuel, it’s a really nice place,” said Lejeune. “It’s sad to hear that another two years, I mean, Interstate 10 and Lafayette could really use it,” said Lejeune.

Lafayette native Whitney Habetz shared her perspective, saying she would rather see the travel center done right than rushed.

“I’m a huge Buc-ee’s fan,” said Habetz. “I really love Buc-ee’s, I’m excited about it coming to Lafayette, I want them to take the time to do it right, weather and design delays, I feel like it’s kind of like outside of our control.”

Habetz expressed her excitement for the opening, looking forward to enjoying Buc-ee’s signature items like beaver nuggets and brisket sandwiches.

“I’m going to be super excited when it opens,” said Habetz. I’m going to want to come out towards the beginning of it opening, get me some beaver nuggets, brisket sandwich, I’m really excited.”

Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority sent a statement to News 10 on the delay:

“Construction delays are very common, especially for capital investments of this size and particularly in the South where weather patterns can impact schedules. The Lafayette community is beyond thrilled to be the future home of one of Buc-ee’s largest stores, and we know it will be well worth the wait. Once completed, this project will bring tremendous opportunity and long-term benefits to our community.”‘

The location is expected to open in 2028, weather permitting.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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