Sanford Stadium slated for $68.5 million in improvements

Caption

The $68.5 million project will be built in two phases to minimize disruption during the 2022 and 2023 football seasons.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The home of the national champion Georgia Bulldogs is getting some upgrades.

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted Tuesday to make a series of improvements to the south side of Sanford Stadium.

The $68.5 million project will be built in two phases to minimize disruption during the 2022 and 2023 football seasons.

The first phase will include construction of a new connection to Sanford Drive at Gillis Bridge for easier fan access, creation of an adjacent plaza space, a significant widening of the 100 Level Concourse, and restroom upgrades.

The second phase will vertically expand the southwest corner of the stadium to include a new press box, six premium suites, and additional restrooms on the 300 Level. The current press box will be converted into additional premium seats.

Construction will begin at the end of the upcoming season and be completed following the 2023 season.

The project is being financed by the UGA Athletic Association through a combination of private donations and bonds.

In other business Tuesday, the university system launched a website designed as a central location for Georgia high school students and others considering enrolling in one of the system’s 26 colleges and universities to find information on the schools so they can compare them.

“We want students and their families to be able to make informed decisions about what degree they want to have and where to go to get it,” system Chancellor Sonny Perdue told the regents.

The Georgia Degrees Pay website will include data on the costs to attend each school, a link to information on student aid including the HOPE Scholarships program, and the future earnings potential of various degree programs at one, five and 10 years after graduation.

“We’ve needed this for a long time,” Regent Thomas Hopkins said. “Our students are really going to benefit from this.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.