Time has come to tackle the job: ground broken for Regina’s new CFL stadium

REGINA – Ground has been broken for the stadium that will be the new home for the Canadian Football League Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Officials from the city, the province and the team were on hand as the first shovel went into the dirt at Evraz Place northwest of downtown Regina

Sean Hamblin, district manager of construction company PCL Management, said it will take a few months to notice any above-ground work at the site.

More than 300,000 cubic metres of dirt is to be removed over the summer — about 25,000 truckloads of material.

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere (foo-ZHAYR’) said the new Mosaic Stadium will become one of the city’s landmarks.

The $278-million stadium is to be completed by August 2016.

The design was released last month and calls for a 33,000-seat facility that can be expanded to hold 40,000 fans for special events.

The stadium is to have wider seats, a sunken bowl for easier spectator access and expansive concourses. Although it is open-air, it features a translucent spectators roof that extends over the seats to provide protection from the elements.

The venue is being described as “roof ready,” meaning a full cover could be added at a later date.

The current stadium near downtown Regina originally started as a rugby field in 1910 and is known for its old wooden-bench seating and wind exposure.

(CJME, CKRM, The Canadian Press)