Cleveland Browns begin excavation for new stadium

Mass excavation and digging for the Cleveland Browns new enclosed stadium began March 2.

Located in Brook Park, Ohio—about 15 minutes west of Cleveland—the team says the project will provide thousands of construction jobs for local workers during the next four years. A minimum of 75 percent of the total workforce hours on the stadium project will be performed by local residents.

The new stadium is projected to open for the 2029 season. The official groundbreaking ceremony will take place April 30.

Independence Excavating is performing the enabling and sitework operations to prepare the site for construction. According to the Cleveland Browns, the excavation requires digging 80 feet deep and moving nearly 2 million cubic yards of dirt. Enabling work for the new stadium initially began in October 2025.

When complete, the stadium is projected to have a capacity of 67,500 seats for large scale sports events and concert crowds of up to 75,000 people.

Haslam Sports Group, the ownership company of the Cleveland Browns controlled by Jimmy Haslam and his family, is investing more than $2 billion in private capital in the new stadium and the adjoining mixed-used development, which includes an investment of at least $1.2 billion towards the construction of the stadium. According to the team, the total project represents $3.4 billion in economic development.