This study focuses on optimizing the production of lycopene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via promoter configuration and adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE). Lycopene, a red carotenoid pigment commonly found in tomatoes, will be used as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of the high-value compound α-ionone. Lycopene is produced via the expression of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (CrtE) from the mold Blakeslea, phytoene desaturase (CrtI) from the mold Blakeslea, and phytoene synthase (CrtB) from the bacterium Pantoea agglomerans. A Yeast Tool Kit (YTK) was used, enabling flexible and modular multipart assembly through Golden Gate Assembly Reaction. Of six different promoter configurations, only those arranged from low to high and high to low promoter strengths successfully produced lycopene. Quantitative UV-Vis analysis confirmed that the promoter arrangement, low to high, yielded the highest lycopene concentration (0.0208 mg/mL OD in YPD and 0.0108 mg/mL in SC-URA). The strain yABC exhibited an extended lag phase (~32-34 hours), indicating a higher metabolic burden. ALE was performed using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a selective pressure to create a driving force for cell evolution. Despite periodic exposure of up to 400 mM of H2O2, evolved populations reverted to non-producing populations. Extreme exposure induced overexpression of the cell's native oxidative stress response, particularly CTT1, which encodes for cytosolic catalase, and disrupted pathway optimization. These findings highlight the need to genetically modify and suppress native stress responses to drive selection towards increased lycopene production and its downstream metabolite, α-ionone.