Bears' new $4,700,000,000 stadium plan to be axed? Illinois Governor labels current proposal 'nonstarter'
The Chicago Bears have been wanting to replace Soldier Field for a while now. Back in 2021, the NFC North team bought Arlington Park, a disused racetrack in the suburb of Arlington Heights, with the intent of building a stadium there.
But things changed on April 24, the eve of the NFL Draft, when this new stadium was revealed to be located on the shores of Lake Erie, south of Soldier Field.
The project is expected to cost around $4.7 billion, which Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is wary of. Speaking to Front Office Sports, his spokesperson Alex Gough said:
"The current proposal is a nonstarter for the state. In order to subsidize a brand-new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois.”
What will new Bears stadium look like?
If the renderings are any indication, it is that the Chicago Bears want to emulate the latest stadiums in the NFL, like the Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant Dome.
For starters, the new stadium will be domed, so it will have a fixed roof over the playing surface. During the press conference announcing the plans, team president/CEO Kevin Warren said that a retractable roof was considered, but ultimately it would have added "another couple hundred million dollars" to both the construction and eventual upkeep for minimal use.
However, he promised that fans would still get an outdoor-esque experience:
"You may have to wear sunglasses."
The domed nature of the venue means that artificial turf will have to be used.
As for seating capacity, Soldier Field has the lowest seating capacity in the league, at 61,500, while the new stadium is expected to seat 65,000.
Speaking of Soldier Field, it will be demolished, with only its colonnades to be kept and preserved, and replaced by publicly accessible fields and gardens.
And professional football (including the Super Bowl) is not the only thing it is expected to host. Warren also said the stadium could host major sporting events like college football games and the NCAA Basketball Final Four, as well as concerts.
The Bears plan to continue playing at Soldier Field during construction, which is expected to begin in the summer of 2025. The venue is expected to be finished in the summer of 2028.