A selection committee on Monday chose an AECOM Hunt/Turner Construction joint venture to build the proposed $2.3B Rays ballpark on the campus of Hillsborough College. Rays
A selection committee on Monday chose an AECOM Hunt/Turner Construction joint venture to build the proposed $2.3B Rays ballpark on the campus of Hillsborough College, as long as the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission “approve an ongoing financing plan in the coming weeks,” according to John Romano of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The timeline for opening the ballpark in the spring of 2029 “is aggressive — and possibly unrealistic” — but AECOM Hunt has “shown an ability to meet tight deadlines in this market.” The contractor was hired to rebuild Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton damaged the roof and interior in October 2024, and completed the project on time for the Rays’ 2026 home opener. The five-person selection committee — which included former Rays President Matt Silverman and Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater — “ranked bids from four contractors in four different areas,” and all five committee members had the AECOM Hunt/Turner JV “ranked No. 1.” The ballpark’s vision is to “bring an outdoor feel inside an air-conditioned, domed stadium.” That includes “large glassed walls — similar to SoFi Stadium — and a translucent roof.” AECOM Hunt Project Manager Brian Schrems said that this style of roof has “never been used for a Major League Baseball stadium, so there may be tweaks along the way as MLB officials get involved” (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/17).