Report: Bills Go Way Overbudget for New Stadium in Orchard Park
If you have driven down Abbott Road or Southwestern Blvd. over the last several weeks, then you have certainly noticed the construction crews across the street from Highmark Stadium.
They are digging out a huge plot of land for the brand new Bills stadium, which is expected to be completed by July of 2026.
The 62,000-seat stadium will be open-air and offer Bills fans a new and modern football watching experience. It will also attract more spring and summer concerts and other events.
The price tag for the new stadium was $1.4 billion but according to reports, that number has and will grow to a much more expensive number.
The Associated Press is reporting that according to those with direct knowledge of the situation, the price tag has already gone over by $300 million, which means the Bills are on the hook to pay. The agreement was that anything that ran over $1.4 billion, the team would pay it.
The Athletic reported on the story last week and said that according to those with knowledge, that final price could be as much as $1.9 billion, when all is said and done.
Increased labor and material costs, along with a delay in sending out bids are why they are running over budget for the new stadium.
All of these numbers have not yet been realized and we likely won't get the final total on a number for stadium price until it's close to being finished.
The Bills are already paying $550 million of the initial price tag. If the number does increase between $300 and $500 million, that means they will be approaching $1 billion in costs they would be on the hook for. They got full creative control in exchange for agreeing to paying any additional costs.
We will have to wait and see how this plays out and if the stadium does run this far overbudget.