ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) – Gov. Kathy Hochul thanked a gymnasium full of construction workers Friday during a press conference at SUNY Erie Community College that celebrated a milestone reached in the construction of the new Buffalo Bills stadium.
“Thank you for helping deliver on the dreams of tens of thousands of Buffalo Bills fans,” Hochul told the audience. “Not just (so) they’ll be able to watch the games; their children will be able to watch the games and their grandchildren’s children will be able to watch the games because of what you’re doing today.”
The team said in early January that construction was shifting toward “the development of the steel superstructure that will shape the future of the stadium.” Hochul said Friday that the excavation work is complete and the first steel beam is ready to go up. She and construction workers in attendance signed their names on the first beam.
“You have put your heart and soul into this project,” Hochul told the workers, adding that 800 people have worked more than 130,000 hours at the site in the seven months since launching the project. “You showed up day after day; blizzards and storms and heavy rains didn’t stop you.”