Ross-Ade Stadium construction plans remain on target for Purdue football opener

WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue football will run into the renovated Ross-Ade Stadium through Tiller Tunnel when the Boilermakers play Fresno State on Sept. 2.

Amidst fan concerns that the construction project appears behind schedule, first-year Purdue football coach Ryan Walters assured during Thursday's Big Ten media day at Lucas Oil Stadium that is not the case.

"All is going according to plan right now," Walters said. "There is no plan B for the Tiller Tunnel."

Athletic director Mike Bobinski said Friday the Phase 1 project, despite rising costs, will not only be ready for the season opener but well ahead of that.

It'll be, mostly, a completed project when the 2023 season kicks off.

The one holdup is a south end zone elevator, which needs equipment installed into the shaft.

"Probably a week from now we could play a game if we needed to," Bobinski said. "Any time you build anything of significance ... there's always a punch list at the end and you're, well, OK, this isn't right, we need a fancier door knob over there or whatever the heck it is.

"There will be some things like that, but the big stuff, the south end zone, the tunnel, all of that will be fully functional well in advance of when we're going to play."

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Tiller Tunnel, named in honor of former Purdue football coach Joe Tiller, will be the entrance for the Boilermakers and be where the former student section was on the northeast corner. It will connect from the Kozuch Football Performance Complex to Rohrman Field.

Construction with AECOM Hunt, originally a roughly $30 million project now in the $50 million range but fully funded by Purdue donors, will include new amenities in the south end zone as well, including a student-friendly priced concession area for the student section, which is now in the south end zone and wrapping around one corner of the end zone where the band will also perform.

A double-sided bar will serve fans in the southwest plaza, where a concourse connector now closes off previously opens portions on the east and west side of Ross-Ade Stadium.

"I think they're doing an unbelievable job and they're working extra shifts as needed to make sure that they hit that schedule," Bobinski said. "It's very encouraging and I am excited about what I see."

On Aug. 7, the Purdue turf staff will begin the process of turning over the Rohrman Field grass, stripping the existing turf before irrigation and draining, then bring in "game-ready sods, a thick cut sod which is what the NFL does when they flip fields in the middle of the season," Bobinski said. "It'll be ready to go and I think it will look great when Sept. 2 rolls around."

Overall, Purdue's athletics department and football program believe the changes will provide a better game day experience for fans.

"We're looking forward to the experience and starting a new era with new toys in Ross-Ade," Walters said.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.