Dive Brief:
- A Gilbane Building Co. and Turner Construction joint venture has been selected to manage the construction of a new NFL stadium for the Buffalo Bills. Pegula Sports & Entertainment selected the pair, along with project management firm Legends Project Development and designer Populous, the joint venture announced Thursday.
- The $1.4 billion stadium received approval from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in March. It will become the largest project in the region’s history. The new venue will be constructed near the current Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
- The JV will also work with 34 Group, a general contracting firm and certified minority business enterprise established by Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas and his wife, Patti.
Dive Insight:
Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane and New York City-based Turner have built 5.5 million square feet together over 25 years of collaboration. Combined, the contractors have built or renovated 16 NFL stadiums. There are 30 active NFL venues.
“We continue to partner with a first-class team of experts and professionals to bring our stadium to life,” said Ron Raccuia, COO for the Bills. “Gilbane | Turner has a tremendous wealth of experience in stadium construction and we look forward to partnering with them.”
Kansas City, Missouri-based Populous released renderings of the stadium last week.
Several contributors will finance the stadium project. The Bills and the NFL will provide $550 million and Erie County will contribute $250 million. New York state is advancing a $600 million proposal in the state budget to cover the rest of the costs.
Per a 30-year agreement between the state and the Bills, the team’s stadium must have a minimum of 60,000 seats. No construction timeline has been formally announced. The team will negotiate extending the lease for Highmark, which expires in 2023.
