Raiders set completion date for $2B Las Vegas stadium

UPDATE, Nov. 3 — Set to begin construction this month, the Raiders are expected to see their new $2 billion Las Vegas stadium completed by July 31, 2020, Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak tweeted on Thursday. Crews will break ground on the stadium Nov. 13.

Dive Brief:

A Las Vegas Stadium Authority (LVSA) official has said the Raiders will break ground on their new $2 billion stadium on Nov. 13, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Board member Tommy White said he received an email confirming the event, although the Raiders have yet to publicly confirm a date and have indicated that the groudbreaking could take place between Nov. 6 and 17. White said he expects an official announcement of the Nov. 13 ceremony at the LVSA's next monthly meeting on Nov. 9.
Until the LVSA and Clark County finalize their development agreements with the team, the Raiders' work on the stadium is limited to pre-construction tasks. The board, however, is expected to hand down a list of allowable construction activities at the Nov. 9 meeting, including site and surveying work.

Dive Insight:

Mortenson Construction and McCarthy Building Companies will oversee construction of the stadium on an accelerated schedule of 30 months so that the Raiders are able to take the field at their new home in Las Vegas in time for the 2020 NFL season.

While the team's development agreements with local agencies are still being negotiated, the Raiders received an important clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last month. The team avoided a potentially significant expense after the agency determined that the stadium's height would not interfere with air traffic in and out of nearby McCarran International Airport.

The Raiders had better luck than the Los Angeles Rams and, now, Los Angeles Chargers, however, who had to pay $29 million for the extra radar equipment necessary to make sure that planes traveling in and out of Los Angeles International Airport will be able to navigate their new stadium's height.

Sports venues are a specialty of Mortenson's. The Minnesota-based company completed work on the new $1.1 billion Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium in June 2016 six weeks ahead of schedule. Mortenson is now underway with construction on the new Minnesota United soccer stadium in St. Paul, the $200 million Allianz Field. Construction was held up while the team awaited approval from the state legislature for property and sales tax breaks, but is scheduled to be open in time for the 2019 MLS season.