The joint venture of Mortenson Construction and McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. has been named construction manager for a planned $1.5-billion ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip for the Major League Baseball Athletics team, which is relocating from Oakland, Calif.

Pending approval by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority, the firms “will be responsible for overseeing all construction-related activities,” according to a statement issued by the team, also known as the A’s. Those tasks include “preconstruction estimating, scheduling and logistics planning, bidding, coordination and management of the project’s labor and community engagement,” the statement added.

Mortenson and McCarthy previously built nearby Allegiant Stadium for the National Football League Raiders team, which also relocated from Oakland. The team statement praised the contractors for delivering the $2-billion stadium within the budget and on schedule in July 2020, after 31 months of construction.

“We’re thrilled to partner with them on this important phase of the project,” said David Kaval, Athletics team president.

Earlier this year, the Nevada legislature approved a $380-million public financing package for a 30,000-seat ballpark on a nine-acre parcel currently part of the Tropicana resort complex. The state will provide $180 million in transferable tax credits, while Clark County will issue $125 million in general obligation bonds and provide $25 million to construct surrounding infrastructure.

No Time Line Announced

There is no time line announced for the project. The team relocation to Las Vegas, which must also be approved by Major League Baseball’s other team owners, is expected to take place after the 2024 season when the team’s current lease to play at the Oakland Coliseum expires.

Preliminary renderings by architect Schrock KC Architecture, Kansas City, Mo., released by the team in May, depict a partly retractable roof with views of the Strip beyond the outfield. The back of the ballpark would face nearby Harry Reid International Airport. The venue also will accommodate concerts and other events.

Built in 1965, the multipurpose Oakland Coliseum has been home to the Athletics for 55 seasons, and also twice hosted the Raiders before that team departed for Las Vegas. Efforts to secure a new ballpark in Oakland and other Bay Area sites spanned more than two decades and three ownership groups. 

Progress on a proposed facility in Oakland’s Howard Terminal area, announced in 2018, proved too slow for the Athletics and Major League Baseball, which in 2021 allowed the team to explore a move outside the region.