Allegiant Stadium Construction Has Completed
Update 8/3: Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis announced Monday that games played at their inaugural 2020 at Allegiant Stadium season will not allow fans in attendance.
It took 12,000 committed workers and over 6 million labor hours. After 1,000 days of construction, Allegiant Stadium has finally completed construction.
The $1.97 billion facility will be the home to the Las Vegas Raiders, UNLV Rebels and other sporting and non-sporting events.
The stadium received a temporary Certificate of Occupancy from Clark County after passing inspection on Friday. Allowing full occupancy of all areas and granting players to begin using the 1.8 million square-foot venue as a practice facility.
“Today the surrounding fence comes down. Workers must be off site by 2 P.M., and the stadium officially gets turned over to the Raiders at 3 P.M.” tweeted Fox 5 Vegas Sports anchor, Vince Sapienza.
Stadium developers describe the facility as an architectural and engineering marvel. The 65,000 occupancy venue features a translucent domed roof, retractable natural turf field, and walls that expand for prime views of the Las Vegas skyline.
Joint contractors, Mortenson | McCarthy led a team of over 200 firms for the project, working with engineers, architects, trade contractors, subconsultants, vendors, and designers to complete the project. About 70% of the firms involved were Nevada-based.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, who previously served as chairman of the Clark County Commission was instrumental in getting the stadium approved.
“I am pleased to see the stadium reach the substantial completion date, a major milestone in any construction project,” said Sisolak
In 2016, the Nevada State legislature met for a special session to approve funding for the project. The plan included $750 million in funding from tax dollars, collected via a less than 1% hotel room tax taken from room reservations on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Raiders $1.2 billion contribution included a $650 loan from Bank of America, $200 million from the NFL’s stadium loan program, and $300 million from stadium naming rights, sales of personal seat licenses, and sponsorships.
The stadium is projected to have 20 to 25 additional events per year outside of Raiders and Rebels games. Possible future junctures include the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, Monster Jam, WrestleMania, NCAA Final Four, UFC Events, and the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, It is unclear if fans will be able to attend games at the venue when football season starts. Currently, Nevada does not allow sporting events to be held with fans in attendance.
Garth Brooks was scheduled to headline the first major event at Allegiant Stadium on August 22, all 65,000 tickets sold out in 75 minutes. Earlier this week, Brooks announced the concert will be postponed for next February.
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to play against the New Orleans Saints at the stadium for Monday Night Football on September 21. The UNLV Rebels first game at the stadium is scheduled October 10 against Wyoming.