Kinnick north end zone to get $90 million renovation
The University of Iowa's Kinnick Stadium will get a $90 million upgrade starting right after the current football season.
The Iowa Board of Regents on Thursday approved renovations to the seating areas in the stadium's north end zone. The project will replace the existing general admission seating with upper and lower general admission bowls. It will also add two general admission concourses, a premium club level, a new video board, and a new ribbon board.
When completed, the north end zone will have 10,234 seats. Improvements will include 18-inch wide bench seats, compared to the current width of less than 17 inches. Legroom will be increased from 24 inches to 30 inches. Aisle width will increase to 48 inches and will include handrails.
Athletic Director Gary Barta says it is the right time to make upgrades.
"When we renovated the last time 10 years ago, one of the things we didn't do is renovate the north end zone, 30 years ago we last made improvements. We knew we had to do something eventually, and it became the right time. We just want to make sure we take a great college football venue and keep it up to date," Barta said.
The project will also replace the current Field Turf before the start of the 2017 season. Outdoor seating will be completed before the 2018 season, and the entire project should be done before the 2019 football season.
The University of Iowa will pay for the project through fundraising, seating revenue, and bond sales.Below are architectural renderings of the renovations to the north end zone of Kinnick Stadium:
