National Football League owners, meeting in Atlanta, recently announced that Indianapolis has landed the 2012 Super Bowl. The big event will be held in the new $750-million Lucas Oil Stadium, now in its final months of construction in downtown Indy. That's great news for Indianapolis and great news for the 1,100 workers currently involved with the stadium project.
The city beat Houston and the Phoenix area for the right to host the Feb. 5, 2012 event after losing by just two votes to Dallas for the 2011 game.
Lucas Oil Stadium, scheduled for completion in August, is a retractable-roof facility with 63,000 seats (expandable for Super Bowl) and 140 luxury suites.
Also In Indy
In addition to Lucas Oil Stadium, Super Bowl visitors to Indianapolis will see a host of major changes that have been made to the city. Indianapolis International Airport's new $1.1-billion midfield terminal is scheduled to open in October. Downtown, plans are proceeding for the $275-million expansion of the Indiana Convention Center and the $425-million JW Marriott hotel complex.
Groundbreaking for the JW Marriott complex took place on May 29. The four-hotel complex will add 1,623 rooms, including a 1,005-room JW Marriott and three smaller hotels at West and Washington streets. REI Real Estate Services, Carmel, Ind., and White Lodging Services Corp., Merrillville, Ind., are co-developers. The 34-story JW Marriott will serve the expanding convention center, which is doubling in size.
