The Chicago Bears are looking to Windy City taxpayers to fund the infrastructure upgrades for their proposed new lakefront domed stadium – an endeavor that will require $325 million for its first phase and could total $1.5 billion in public funding for the full project.
The stadium project is estimated to cost $4.6 billion, with $3.2 billion directed toward building the new stadium itself. According to a Chicago Sun-Times report, the new stadium’s infrastructure needs would be constructed in a $325 million first phase, a $510 million second phase and a $665 million third phase. Among the upgrades would be the creation of new interchanges, reconfiguring roads and gutting the interior of Soldier Field, the team’s current stadium, to become multi-use sports fields.
“We’ve been working closely with the state and looking at different available funding sources, if it’s the state or the federal government, on how we can make it happen. For us, we need the $325 million to open the stadium,” said Karen Murphy, the team’s executive vice president of stadium development. “I will remind everyone that these infrastructure projects drive jobs, and they create economic impact.”
The Bears pledged to contribute more than $2 billion to the project—over 70% of the total stadium cost. Soldier Field opened in 1924 and was last renovated in 2003. The team would continue to play at Soldier Field until the new stadium was completed. Construction is being slated to begin in 2025, with a 2028 opening.
Image: Artist’s rendering of the proposed stadium, courtesy of the Chicago Bears
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