Ceremony celebrates groundbreaking of new Bills stadium

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills broke ground on the new stadium on Monday morning, marking the start of construction on the $1.4 billion project.

Gov. Kathy Hochul joined Bills General Manager Brandon Beane and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for a ceremony. This comes after Erie County Legislature unanimously approved all the documents related to the new stadium deal on May 4.

New York State approved the construction of the stadium in March 2022, which will ensure that the Bills stay in Western New York for at least the next 30 years. To fund the stadium, $600 million will come from the state and $250 million is coming from Erie County taxpayers. The NFL and the Bills franchise agreed to pay the remaining amount.

Hochul said the project is about more than football.

“This is an agreement that’s going to benefit people for decades to come and it’s not just sports-related. It’s about workforce development, it’s about job training, it’s about anti-violence initiatives. So this is going to have an impact way beyond what we’re doing here today.”

Hochul appointed Bob Duffy, CEO of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, to chair Erie County Stadium Corporation which oversees the stadium. The stadium will be owned by the state rather than the county, as is currently the case with Highmark Stadium.

The stadium is still set to be completed by fall of 2026 on the other side of Abbott Road in Orchard Park.