On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul, the Buffalo Bills and Erie County celebrated the topping out of the new $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium at the construction site in Orchard Park. A major building milestone, topping out celebrates the lifting and placing of the last major roof module for the stadium structure. The state-of-the-art stadium design includes cutting-edge technology, inspiring art and an array of amenities designed to enhance the customer experience — making it a world-class entertainment venue that will boost the economy of Western New York for decades to come. The project is about 50 percent complete and is slated to be finished prior to the 2026 NFL season.
“Today marks a major milestone for the future home of the Buffalo Bills and one of the largest construction projects ever in Western New York,” Governor Hochul said. “This world-class stadium would not be possible without our skilled union workers and partners, and I look forward to cheering along with them at the first Bills game being played here in the 2026 season.”
Buffalo Bills Owner Terry Pegula said, “Today is about you hard workers. We’re going to put this piece of steel up. We’re calling this the topping off ceremony. I call it the first piece of building the rest of the stadium.”
With more than 1,400 guests and hundreds of proud members of organized labor in attendance, one of the super cranes on site was used to erect the highest beam 156 feet in the air. The topping out ceremony commemorated the tremendous efforts of construction professionals and the men and women of organized labor to maintain safe and on-time construction. The final beam is adorned with an American flag and an evergreen tree, standing as a talisman for good luck and prosperity for the future occupants of the building. It bears the signature of hundreds of partners, employees and stakeholders who are contributing to the development of the new stadium.
Friday’s milestone comes just 20 months after the groundbreaking for the new 60,000-seat facility, designed by the Bills in conjunction with Legends and the architectural firm Populous. To date, the construction team has put in place more than 22,000 individual pieces of steel weighing more than 25,000 tons. The scope of work necessitated the participation of 16 fabrication companies, with 60 percent of the steel being produced in New York State and almost all of it produced in the United States. In addition to the structural steel work, the project has included the removal of 742,000 cubic yards of dirt and the installation of more than 46,000 cubic yards of foundation concrete, and miles of piping among other materials. As many as 1,500 workers will be on the site at the peak of construction — including people working on masonry, electrical and plumbing. Workers have already contributed over 1.7 million craft-hours to construction, with that number expected to double by completion.
With the topping out milestone, construction continues on the interior of the building, as well as the roof and exterior enclosure. Construction manager Gilbane/Turner is in the midst of putting the canopy structure on the stadium’s top level, which tops out at 116 feet above grade — nearly double the height of the current stadium, and installing precast materials, which will make up the exoskeleton of the building. This spring, the skin of the building will be installed including the precast architectural, perforated metal and glass panels that capture outside views of Lake Erie and downtown Buffalo.
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