New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the NFL's 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 suburb of Buffalo, on April 4th, 2025.
A major building milestone, the topping out celebrates the lifting and placing of the last roof module for the arena's structure. The ultramodern stadium design includes technology, art and an array of amenities designed to enhance the fan experience — making it a world-class entertainment venue that will likely boost the Western New York economy for decades to come.
The project is now approximately 50 percent complete and is slated to be finished prior to the 2026 NFL season.
The joint venture team of Gilbane | Turner, along with 34 Group and Arc Building Partners, was chosen by Bills officials to provide construction management services for the new stadium. The full project team also includes Legends Project Development, the site management firm and Populous, the designer.
As envisioned, the completed project will include a 1.35-million-sq.-ft. open-air football stadium, an 18,750-sq.-ft. ancillary building, demolition of the current stadium just across the street and related site development.
The new venue's capacity will have a minimum of 60,000 seats with an expandable capacity to hold special events. Premium areas will include suites, ledge seats, clubs and other choice seating options.
It also will have state-of-the-art video and scoreboards, a modern sound system, administrative and event staff offices and lockers, broadcast facilities, a Bills team store, locker rooms, food service kitchens and concessions, signage, sports lighting and maintenance, in addition to storage areas, a plaza, parking and site landscaping.
All Credit for Construction Goes to Skilled Tradespeople
The April 4, 2025, event commemorated what Hochul called "the tremendous efforts of construction professionals" — both men and women of organized labor — to maintain safe and on-time construction.
"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," she 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."
Terry Pegula, the pro football team's owner, echoed the governor's comments when he 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 ft. in the air.
The final beam was 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.
"When you stand next to this future home of the Buffalo Bills, you realize how big this stadium is, not just in size, but in the economic impact to the community," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. "With more than 1,000 highly paid construction workers building this stadium each day, this project is the biggest one in Erie County history and it is improving the lives of many."
The topping out came just 20 months after the groundbreaking for the new, 60,000-seat facility.
To date, the construction team has put in place more than 22,000 individual pieces of steel weighing more than 25,000 tons, Hochul's office noted in a news release. The scope of work necessitated the participation of 16 fabrication companies, with 60 percent of the steel being produced in New York, and almost all of it manufactured in the United States.
In addition to the erection of its structural steel, the building project has included the removal of 742,000 cu. yds. of dirt and the installation of more than 46,000 cu. yds. of foundation concrete, as well as miles of piping.
Up to 1,500 workers will be on the site at the peak of construction — including those working on masonry, electrical and plumbing at the building site. Crews have already contributed more than 1.7 million craft-hours to construction, with that number expected to double by completion.
"We're incredibly proud to reach this major milestone in the construction of the new Highmark Stadium," noted John LaRow, the principal-in-charge of Gilbane | Turner. "This achievement is testament to the hard work of our skilled trade partners who have worked over 1.8 million hours to date building this state-of-the-art facility."
Gary LaBarbera, president of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, also was among those who spoke at the stadium's ceremonial topping out.
He characterized the stadium's latest milestone "as a testament to the positive impacts development done under project labor agreements and with prevailing wage measures can have on our local communities and collective state economy."
"The construction of this new home for the Buffalo Bills is generating thousands of family-sustaining careers, adding economic stimulus to our neighborhood and providing hard-working people in the Western New York region accessible pathways to the middle class," said LaBarbera.
New Highmark Stadium Work Nearing Halfway Point
With the topping out ceremony now complete, construction is continuing on the interior of the building, as well as the roof and exterior enclosure. Gilbane/Turner is putting the canopy structure on the stadium's highest level, which tops out at 116 ft. above grade — nearly double the height of the current Highmark Stadium.
In addition, the joint venture is installing precast materials, which will make up the exoskeleton of the building.
In spring 2025, the skin of the building will be installed using precast architectural, perforated metal and glass panels on the upper decks that capture outside views of Lake Erie and downtown Buffalo.
The future world-class home of the Bills will host a variety of other sporting and non-sporting events and will feature an array of premium amenities every level of the building, including:
• A 360-degree canopy covering 65 percent of the seats;
• A heated concourse and seating areas in several areas;
• The world's largest snow melt system, which uses roof sensors to monitor and liquify snow piles;
• An inviting welcome plaza highlighted by a sculpture of a family of American bison; and
• Accessibility for people with disabilities.
