The Buffalo Bills are finally getting their new stadium.
With the Erie County legislature approving the final $250 million for the $1.54 billion project on Thursday, the team said construction will “begin immediately.”
The new stadium will be built next door to Highmark Stadium. The Erie County legislature also extended the lease at Highmark, set to expire this summer, on Thursday.
The new facility is expected to be completed in time for the 2026 season.
“Now that all the negotiations are over, we are excited to begin the physical phase of this project, which will lead to the opening of the stadium,” Bills executive VP and COO Ron Raccuia said. “Major construction in June will begin with excavation. The final design elements are never really final, but it’s extremely dialed in at this point.”
More than half the cost of the stadium — originally expected to cost $1.4 billion — is backed by public financing.
New York agreed to pay $600 million last year, with Erie County contributing $250 million. The NFL is expected to add $200 million — the maximum amount under the league’s G-4 loan program — with the Bills paying for the rest, including any overages.
Opening in 1973, Highmark is the fourth-oldest NFL stadium in the country behind the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field (1924), the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field (1957), and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium (1972).
