At least 15 football games will be played on this active construction site over the next five monthsLINDSEY THIRY
USC is "just past the halfway point" of its two-year, $300M renovation project that will "add dozens of modernizing features" to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, according to Greg Beacham of the AP. The school is sharing the venue "for the third straight year" with the Rams, and at least 15 football games "will be played on this active construction site over the next five months." The school, Rams and project workers "celebrated the halfway milestone" yesterday. USC and the Rams "encouraged fans to take public transit to the Coliseum this fall, or at least to make parking arrangements in advance." Among several changes to the usual gameday experience are that fans "won't be able to walk all the way around the concourse during games, and the available concessions inside the stadium will be limited." The project will be "completed before the start of next season" (AP, 8/16). In California, Joey Kaufman notes the renovation "began with the removal of about 12,000 midfield seats on the south side, most of them to make room for the building of a so-called scholarship tower filled with luxury boxes, club seats and a press box." The tower will "continue to be constructed through the rest of the year, above new seats that were added in the first 40 rows along the south sideline." The Coliseum is "jointly owned by the state, the county and the city" of L.A. but is "managed and operated by USC under a 98-year lease that extends through 2111" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/16).
