For a photo gallery of the stadium construction, click here.

Alumni from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management were invited to visit the Investors Group Field construction site for a sneak peek of the new stadium on campus. The same invitation was extended to the Manitoban, so we tagged along as project manager Mike Klynes gave a concise update on the stadium’s progress and what to expect once it’s complete.

From the outside, the stadium sure appears to be coming along quickly, but once inside, it’s clear to see all the remaining work that will easily take several months to complete. The field, the lower bowl seats, and the concourse areas are still under construction and most of the private suites still need work done.

But for those of us who have been watching from afar, progress has been slow but steady. Klynes reiterated the fact that high winds that lasted through winter and early spring really set the whole project back, as the arches’ trusses that run along the roof required two 300-tonne cranes to carefully lift them into place.

Klynes went over some of the amenities that fans should expect once the stadium is open. All washrooms and concession areas have been “overdesigned,” meaning that they’ve been built larger than typically necessary so there should not be excessive lines even when the stadium is at capacity. Despite a concourse layout that should provide adequate sightlines of the field at all times, the concourse will feature 250 flat-screen HD televisions strategically dispersed around the stadium for added convenience.

Deep in the guts of the new stadium, Bison football will be getting 17,000 square feet of training and locker room space.

As the Bisons continue to trample opponents at the decrepit University Stadium throughout the remainder of the 2012 season (while the Bombers submit to opponents at CanadInns Stadium), fans of both teams should take solace in the fact that their new home should provide a comfortable and convenient sporting event experience.