What Upgrades Are Coming to Acrisure Stadium?
Acrisure Stadium, which is home to the Steelers, is getting seating upgrades. The stadium has over 68,000 seats. Over 58,000 seats will be replaced by 2029. The seat replacements are part of a $17 million project, which is being planned by the PSSI Stadium Corp. On Thursday, the Sports & Exhibition Authority agreed to pay over six million dollars for more than 22,000 new seats within the next two years. This is the first phase of seat replacements.
The majority of the seats in Acrisure Stadium are the original seats, many of which are in poor condition. Throughout the last five years, Stantec, the SEA’s facility condition assessment firm, has reported various issues with the seats. Issues include rusting, broken bolts, detachment from the concrete, and broken handicapped seating. The funds for the initial phase of seat replacements will come from surcharges added onto tickets for events at the stadium. The removed seats may be sold. Doug Straley, the Project Executive for the SEA, said that they’re in “really bad shape.” The SEA owns the seats, so any proceeds from the sales would go to them.
The stadium opened in 2001. It was originally named Heinz Field. It was renamed Acrisure Stadium in July 2022. It’s tied with the Denver Broncos’ stadium, Empower Field at Mile High, as the fifteenth-oldest active NFL stadium. The stadium’s lease expires in 2030. Art Rooney II has previously stated that the franchise intends to renew the lease.
Pittsburgh is making various upgrades in and around the stadium in anticipation of the 2026 NFL Draft next April. Next year will be the second time that Pittsburgh has hosted the draft. Approximately one million people are expected to attend the draft next year. A new turf field has already been installed outside of Gate A of Acrisure Stadium. It will be used for additional programming on game days and during the draft. A two-sided 2026 NFL Draft countdown clock has been added to the North Shore Great Lawn. It counts down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until next year’s draft. Other stadium upgrades for this season include an upgraded Wi-Fi system, new video boards, and additional food and beverage options.
