The Daily Dig
The Cleveland Browns officially broke ground on the new Huntington Bank Field on April 30 in Brook Park, Ohio, marking the start of what is being called Northeast Ohio's largest economic development project to date. AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction Company are serving as joint construction managers, with HKS as the designing architect.
The new stadium will be Ohio's first enclosed stadium, built with a flexible capacity of up to 75,000. Its roof is a first of its kind long-span system designed without a truss, a structural approach that shapes both the building's sightlines and its overall design. The Browns say the seating bowl is designed to bring fans closer to the field than any other NFL stadium.
The venue is scoped well beyond game days. Planned events include NCAA Final Fours, international soccer matches, and large-scale concerts throughout the year. The stadium is scheduled to open in 2029 along with Phase 1 of the mixed-use development, which is led by Lincoln Property Company.
Local contractor partners have also been named. AECOM Hunt and Turner are partnering with DiGeronimo Companies, Independence Excavating, and Independence Construction on the project. The stadium and adjacent development are expected to generate more than 6,000 construction jobs.
Snapshot:
Project: New Huntington Bank Field
Owner: Haslam Sports Group (HSG)
Construction Managers: AECOM Hunt / Turner Construction Company (joint venture)
Architect: HKS
Mixed-Use Development Partner: Lincoln Property Company
Location: Brook Park, Ohio
Sector: Sports and Entertainment
Scope: Enclosed NFL stadium with Phase 1 mixed-use district
Capacity: Up to 75,000
Key Features: First long-span roof without a truss; seating bowl designed to be closest to field in NFL; flexible "Super Theater" concept
Named Local Contractors: DiGeronimo Companies, Independence Excavating, Independence Construction
Construction Jobs: 6,000+
Groundbreaking Ceremony: April 30, 2026
Projected Opening: 2029
Notable: Ohio's first enclosed stadium
TheJobWalk Thoughts
Three local contractors were named publicly at groundbreaking. On a CM-led project at this scale, that kind of early designation reflects relationships built well before the ceremony. Specialty contractors in Northeast Ohio who are not already talking to AECOM Hunt or Turner should understand that the door gets narrower the further into preconstruction a project moves.
The long-span roof without a truss is not a routine scope item. That structural approach ripples through steel, glazing, MEP, fire protection, and acoustics in ways that require real specialty experience. Contractors with complex overhead and structural system backgrounds should be tracking procurement timing on this one closely.
With a 2029 open date and an active construction window now underway, there are roughly three years of significant volume coming into one regional market. For material suppliers and equipment dealers across Northeast Ohio, the demand pull across that window is worth planning around now, not later.
Courtesy of The Cleveland Browns
