The canopy has started to go up for the Buffalo Bills鈥 new stadium.
It鈥檚 a big moment since that marks the highest point at the Orchard Park football venue.
But that鈥檚 only a piece of all the activity going on right now at the project site.
In addition to the steel continuing to go up, there鈥檚 mechanical, electrical and plumbing work happening on the field level and multiple other levels, concrete being laid, precast stairs and stadia being installed and underground utility work continuing.
On the south side of the site, there鈥檚 even parking lots being graded and paved, curbs going in and roadways, landscaped areas and retention ponds being built.
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The number of workers on the $1.7 billion project has nearly doubled from approximately 450 at the start of the summer to about 800. That number could reach 1,000 by November and will balloon to around 1,200 by the spring.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people crawling around doing a lot of different things,鈥 said Steve Ranalli, president of the Erie County Stadium Corp., the state entity overseeing the project.
鈥淓very trade is out here doing something somewhere, which is really different from when just a handful of trades were out here,鈥 he added.
Ranalli said the three-year project that started in June 2023 is on schedule as it approaches the halfway mark. The team plans to start playing games in the stadium in 2026.
鈥淲e really are starting to see a lot of progress,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e told folks that as they come out for Bills games this season, every time you come out, you鈥檒l really see the stadium take shape and I think that has held true.鈥
The enormous height of the stadium is now on full display with the fourth level nearing completion and the installation of the fifth and final level, or canopy, getting going. The stadium鈥檚 exterior will top out at 116 feet above grade 鈥 nearly double the height of the current stadium.
About 61% of the 24,000 tons of steel required for this project has been placed by the several immense cranes on site since steelwork started in February.
Work to build the canopy, which will provide cover for almost 65% of fans inside the stadium, and to finish off the precast concrete will last throughout the fall and winter and is expected to be completed in March.
The first full canopy section was installed along the west side of the project on Oct. 10 and the canopy is now being extended to the north end of the stadium. Canopy pieces are built on the ground right outside the stadium and hoisted up by the cranes.
The stadium is higher and steeper than the current one 鈥 something that鈥檚 quite noticeable now with the fifth level going up. Still, the upper deck is about 50 feet closer to the field than it is currently, so it won鈥檛 be a bad place to watch the game, Ranalli said.
A view of downtown Buffalo, Lake Erie and the Boston Hills can now be seen while standing on the higher levels. A bar and viewing area being built on the upper level on the north side of the stadium will have a glass wall with a view of the city and lake.
鈥淭he view is amazing up there,鈥 Ranalli said.
Nearly all the 165 pieces of precast stairs have been put into place. Work on precast stadia installation is about 73% complete, with over 1,300 pieces slated to be put into place. About 51% of the 1.2 million square feet of structural concrete has been laid on the metal decking. Over 40% of the 450,000 square feet of slab on grade has been poured.
Workers are busy on the first few levels building out the masonry walls, bathrooms, concessions areas, main concourse on the mezzanine level, decking and suites and club seating. Workers are currently spraying fireproof material on the walls and ceilings of the main concourse.
鈥淔rom the outside, you see the steel, you see the precast concrete pieces, but now that these floors are in, a lot of the interior work is getting going,鈥 Ranalli said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of the stuff that you just can鈥檛 see.鈥
For a while, it was just the steel and concrete workers on-site, but now there鈥檚 more people there working on masonry, drywall, plumbing, mechanical and electrical. As more floors are poured, additional trades can get into the stadium to work.
The west side of the stadium, where most of the new work gets started in each phase, will have the field club, broadcast booth, the owner鈥檚 suite, press box and standing room only access.
Sometimes workers are on-site around 3 a.m. to start pouring concrete and don鈥檛 get done with an area until 6 or 7 p.m.
Stadium work is going on seven days a week, except for home game day Sundays, so everything is happening very fast.
Regulars at home Bills games may be surprised just how much has happened in the four weeks since the Bills last played at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 23.
Workers are putting up steel at about a 5% rate per week. Most notably, fans will notice that the steel has been enclosed on the southeast corner of the project.
On the south side of the stadium, parking lots have been graded and are being paved after the underground utilities were put in.
Also, on that side of the project, a technology building is being built and should be done early next year. The Bills want it operational a year before the stadium opens so they can make any tweaks necessary.
An electrical service facility was already built close to Abbott Road, next door to Hammer鈥檚 Lot. It is where power comes in and is distributed into the stadium.
鈥淚t鈥檚 probably more exciting when people do tours every month or two to see it develop,鈥 said Paul Gianadda, superintendent on the project. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e here every day, you see it all the time, but it鈥檚 great being part of this.鈥
After the steel is completed, exterior wall panels will go up and much of the remainder of the project will happen on the interior of the stadium, Ranalli said.
Besides a crane being out of commission for a few days after being struck with lighting in July, there have not been many challenges on site, Gianadda said. It was not a harsh winter last year and they鈥檙e hoping that trend will continue into this winter. One roadblock workers have incurred is that if it rains all day, they cannot erect steel until the next day, Gianadda added.
鈥淭here were more non-freezing days in February than there were below-freezing days, so we got a lot done last winter, fortunately,鈥 Gianadda said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 hope for the same this winter.鈥