The stadium redevelopment is part of the broader mixed-use KU Gateway District. In addition to reconstructing the stadium's east side and expanding seating, the district will include a hotel, restaurants, office space, student housing, underground parking and a public plaza.

Phase 1 of the project, completed in 2025, provided new seating on the stadium's north and west sides, upgrades to the playing field, new video boards and an enhanced player tunnel. Phase 2 focuses on rebuilding the east stands and completing the surrounding Gateway District.

Accelerating the Lighting Sequence

The columns, designed to evoke Kansas wheat swaying in the wind, pay tribute to the state's agricultural heritage while reflecting the Jayhawks' "Wave the Wheat" tradition, in which fans raise their arms and sway after touchdowns.

Installing them became one of Phase 2's greatest logistical challenges, said Chris Desko, project executive for the Clark-JE Dunn joint venture, which was tasked with making sure the lights would be on for night football games even as crews demolished and rebuilt the stadium's east grandstands.

Early plans called for two existing east-side light towers to remain in service during construction before being removed after the 2026 season. However, as the permanent steel design advanced, it became clear the towers would occupy the same space as the new stadium structure, making their later removal nearly impossible because of limited crane access within the rebuilt bowl.

Rather than delay construction or risk disrupting future night games, the Clark-JE Dunn team accelerated fabrication and installation of the 19 permanent wheat columns months ahead of schedule. The columns encircle the horseshoe-shaped stadium on the north, east and west sides, rising as high as 135 ft above the field. Each varies in height and supports six to 12 light fixtures that illuminate the playing surface.

The team removed the old light towers, reused existing light fixtures on the new columns, relocated electrical equipment and temporarily energized the permanent lighting system in time for the team's 2026 season.

Lighting arrays were assembled and aimed at ground level before crews used two cranes in a coordinated lift to hoist the fully assembled structures into place above the field.

"As we advanced the east bowl, it became clear the original light towers and the new structure wanted to occupy the same space," Desko said. "By pulling the permanent lighting and its supporting steel forward in the sequence, we solved a major access challenge before it existed and kept KU's 2026 season under the lights."

Racing the Clock

The compressed construction schedule left little room for delay.

"From the day we took down the east grandstands, the clock started ticking," said David Young, project director for the Clark-JE Dunn joint venture. "We had less than eight months to demolish the existing structure, stand up the new lower bowl and concourse, and bring the wheat columns and lighting online. Hitting topping out with those elements complete was a huge win for the team and for KU's 2026 season."

The milestone keeps the project on track to provide full-field illumination for KU's first Friday night home game Sept. 4 while allowing stadium construction to continue uninterrupted.

Banks Floodman, development director for Edgemoor/Sunflower Partners and a former KU football player, said the topping out of the structural steel reflected both personal and community investment.

"Seeing that beam go up drives home the impact this project will have on the members of the KU and greater Lawrence community," Floodman said.

With structural steel complete, crews are turning their attention to enclosing the stadium and advancing interior work as the project moves toward completion, Desko said.