INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Record rainfall delayed construction on the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers, and the teams announced the complex including a multi-use stadium for the recently relocated NFL franchise will not be ready or play in 2019 as expected.
Rain deluged California from January to March and critical construction landmarks were missed along the way.
“Our focus is always on the fan experience,” Chargers president A.G. Spanos said in a statement. “Our future home will be the best stadium in the NFL and deliver a transformational experience for Chargers fans. If getting it right means pushing back the completion date, then I think the extra year is well worth it.”
The principal project developer told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that the record rains came in the critical “evacuation phase” and “knocked us for a loop.” Water stood at depths of 12 to 15 feet in areas where excavation was planned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpc5NgS6JfQ
The $2.6 billion football facility is part of a multiple-phase project.
The Chargers will play at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. through the 2019 season while the Rams will stay at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams played last season at the Coliseum after relocating from St. Louis before spring minicamp began.
San Diego lost the Chargers to Los Angeles amidst a nearly decade-long stadium spat.
In March, the Chargers announced season tickets sold out for the 30,000-seat StubHub Center, which is less than half the capacity of their San Diego home, Qualcomm Stadium.
Owner Stan Kroenke and the Rams broke ground at the Inglewood complex in November 2016. The venue includes an “entertainment district” with restaurants and hotels, and studio space for the NFL Network.
Photo credit – HKS Sports & Entertainment
