A construction firm has been selected to manage the first phase of what would, if approved, ultimately be a 450 million dollar Mercedes-Benz Superdome renovation.
Superdome Commission spokesperson Mike Hoss says they’re still a few months away from anything concrete, but the ultimate plan is to bring the Dome into the 21st century…
“It will bring it to where the standards need to be to make this city competitive with the Atlantas, and Dallases, and other places, to make the city competitive now to bring in events.”
One of the sought after additions will be a ticketed standing room “bar” section, like the one in Dallas, that Hoss says is aimed at younger fans.
The first phase of construction will cost about 100 million dollars, and Hoss says it focuses on making the dome easier to traverse, and bringing the food up to New Orleans standards…
“(Constructing) Larger concourses, removing some interior ramps, creating new vertical transportation, and creating a new commissary to have better food throughout the Superdome.”
80,000 square feet of ramps will be removed in phase one.
A final funding plan has not been ironed out yet, but the Saints have agreed to pay for a third of whatever the total cost is. That means the remaining two thirds would be split between the Superdome, and the State. Hoss says hopefully the taxpayers won’t have to foot much of the bill.
“We want to keep that number as low as humanly possible, there’s no new taxes for this.”
The plan is for all four phases of renovation to be completed before the 2024 Superbowl in New Orleans, and preferably before the 2023-2024 season starts.
