Sports Venues
Denver Broncos Name Burnham Yard as Preferred Site for New Stadium
Team targets 2031 opening; Denver Water says relocations will be paid by the club
Burnham Yard, the roughly 58-acre former railyard south of downtown Denver, is between 6th and West 8th avenues, the Consolidated Main Line and Osage Street. The site is the Broncos’ chosen location for a privately funded, retractable-roof stadium and mixed-use district.
The NFL’s Denver Broncos on Sept. 9 selected Burnham Yard as the site for a privately funded, retractable-roof stadium slated to open in 2031, the team said in a joint letter with Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Described in materials reviewed by ENR as “a world-class venue anchoring a year-round mixed-use district,” the club said it would continue playing at its current home, Empower Field at Mile High, in the interim.
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That 2031 target aligns with the end of the team’s lease at Empower Field, which is relatively young in arena years. The team’s current home opened in August 2001 at a cost of more than $400 million on the site of the original Mile High Stadium, which opened in 1948 and was subsequently razed.
Public work identified so far is limited to transportation projects the city has advanced for the “Vibrant Denver” general-obligation bond program on the upcoming Nov. 4 ballot. City materials confirm the package would be funded without adding any new taxes.
The state purchased the 58-acre Burnham Yard, a former Union Pacific facility, in 2021 for $50 million, as well as an additional $19.4 million in January 2025 for a freight and track easement through the site, according to the Colorado Dept of Transportation.
Multiple outlets say the club has assembled or lined up additional parcels. Sports Business Journal reported the Broncos have “reached conceptual agreements” to purchase “25 acres on the south end of Denver Water’s campus,” and that private acquisitions over the past year bring the total footprint to “more than 100 acres.” Reporting by The Denver Post pegged the final price tag of the new facility to be at least $4 billion.
Early site work would include utility relocation. In a statement issued the day of the announcement, Denver Water said the stadium plan would require moving several operations-and-maintenance facilities on the south side of its 2019 Operations Complex while keeping the Administration Building in place.
The utility said the Broncos have agreed to pay “all costs necessary” for relocation—including property acquisition, site work and construction—and that “funds from water rates will not be used.” Denver Water added that it has identified potential new locations, including a larger site at 40th and Clayton.
The project list includes $89.2 million for the 8th Avenue Viaduct and Multimodal Improvements—bringing part of the viaduct down to grade east of the Consolidated Main Line to reconnect the street grid—and $50 million for 6th Avenue Viaduct repairs, mobility and access improvements, and pre-design for a future replacement.
Axios Denver added that alternative metro sites—including Lone Tree and Douglas County—were considered and ultimately rejected, and quoted Broncos CEO and owner Greg Penner describing the organization’s community ties as a factor.
Several key details remain unknown, including total project cost, procurement strategy, design or construction team selections, seating capacity, premium program or a detailed phasing plan for site approvals, environmental review and vertical construction.
ENR contacted the Broncos organization for more information, but did not receive a response before press time.
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Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591
