The Cleveland Browns have officially taken a major step toward their future home. After months of planning, debate, and legal hurdles, heavy machinery is now on site in Brook Park. Dirt is being moved. Excavation is underway. The vision of a new domed stadium is no longer just a rendering on a screen. It is becoming real.
The organization announced the start of excavation work and confirmed plans for an official groundbreaking ceremony later this spring.
“This is exciting. We’re starting to dig down our 80-foot-deep excavation. We get all the way down to the bottom of the hole, then start coming back up out of the ground with the new Cleveland Browns stadium. It means a lot. It means everything. This is going to be revenue-generating, this is going to bring a lot of local workforce, putting them back to work, with the idea that we’re going to have over 75% local workforce building this project,” Patrick Wipperman said.
Generating local revenue and job creation as the community comes together to create a new centerpiece for the area. pic.twitter.com/34Yr7sL5rc
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) March 2, 2026
Rob DiGeronimo, president of Independence Excavating, also described the scope of the work.
“The mass excavation for the new Huntington Bank Field project lays the foundation for this substantial endeavor. Driven by the site’s proximity to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the scope requires digging 80 feet deep and moving nearly 2 million cubic yards of dirt, making it one of the most significant earthwork projects ever undertaken in Cuyahoga County.”
This is not a small undertaking. The proposed project carries a price tag of 2.4 billion dollars for the stadium itself, with an additional mixed use development expected to surround it. Plans include housing, a hotel, retail space, and an entertainment district that the Browns hope will operate year-round. The target date for opening is the 2029 NFL season.
There has been controversy surrounding public funding and legal challenges tied to state dollars, but the presence of excavators on site sends a clear message. The Browns are moving forward.
For decades, fans have watched games along the lakefront. Now, the franchise is betting on a new chapter in Brook Park. The dome concept promises protection from late-season weather, the ability to host major events, and expanded revenue streams beyond football Sundays.
The dirt is being turned. The clock toward 2029 has officially started.
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