LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Construction for the $600 million Big Red Rebuild project broke ground earlier this summer.
“We’re calling this first phase as enabling work, utility work, it’s foundation work, it’s structural work,” said Deputy Athletic Director Kourtne Gosha.
“All of those types of things to make sure that once the schedule or at the conclusion of this football season that it allows us to really get aggressive and make sure that we meet out timeline.”
Gosha says construction will happen Mondays through Thursdays, with Fridays serving as a “clean house” day to prepare for Saturday home games.
After the final game of the season wraps, major demolition will continue.
Gosha says the South Entrance will be one of the first buildings to be torn down, along with the administrative building next to it, eliminating parking in that area too.
After that, the West bowl will follow with new steel and concrete going up as the stadium moves towards its planned 2028 completion.
For many students on campus, the rebuild isn’t just something they will see inside the stadium, but it can also create challenges to getting around it on the outside too.
For UNL students, Darius Banks and Arnav Soni, construction has added more time to their commute to and from campus.
“Because there’s just so much traffic downtown, it takes quite a bit of time and adds probably like 10 to 15 minutes to my drive,” said Banks.
“[I’ve] honestly been doing more walks,” said Soni. “It kind of impedes in my schedule.”
But many students like Kunil Kota say they’re willing to deal with it for hopes of a better game day experience.
“I think they’re doing it more for us than them. So, it’s really nice to see, and as someone who’s grown up in Lincoln my whole life, it just, it makes me happy,” said Kota.
Officials expect to introduce some new food this year as well, such as the Big Red Shortcake nachos and the footlong Ribwich.
Executive Director for Aramark’s University of Nebraska concessions, Bryan Adams says, “That was really our goal to wow factor the fans into some of these new items.”
