Ralph Wilson Stadium renovations are coming in the next 10 months as part of a $130M project that "gathers steam after the season and should be completed" for the Bills' season opener next year, according to Gene Warner of the BUFFALO NEWS. The upgrades are "designed to make the aging facility more fan-friendly, increase advertising and sponsorship revenue and thus keep the stadium as a viable home for the Bills for at least the next nine years." Entrance gates will be pushed out toward the street, "creating a much bigger exterior concourse outside the stadium walls and allowing for live entertainment." Six new "super gates" will have "more entry lanes, and each gate will have a video board to show pregame shows and highlights." Additionally, a "huge new Bills store will be built behind the scoreboard." The scoreboard "will stay about the same size, but its video screen will be about 60 feet wider." Other changes include "moving the press box to the current Red Zone Club in the corner of the tunnel end zone; a vast rewiring to expand Wi-Fi and Das capabilities; the building of a new commissary building for Delaware North; a 'freshening up' of the lower-bowl concourse; a refurbishing of concession stands to provide more variety, more local flavor and more permanent" space; and 22% more restroom space. Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon said, "This renovation is geared toward the fan. It significantly enhances the fans’ game-day experience" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/6).
