ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — It's time for an early look inside the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Our Breanna Fuss took in the sights and sounds of the project, and shares some fun stats she got along the way from Gilbane-Turner, the group building the stadium.

The countdown continues. In a little more than 700 days, the 2026 NFL football season will kick off. That means the new home of the Buffalo Bills will be done. It doesn't take much to be in awe of Highmark Stadium as it rises above Orchard Park. It was just Feb. 5 when the first piece of steel was put into place. Now, you can see skeleton of the scoreboard.

It’s just a fraction of the 9,462 pieces of steel put in place to date.

“We’re real proud of what all the 750 workers are doing,” Joe Byrne, vice president and program director with Gilbane-Turner, said.

As of Sept. 5, more than 460,000 man-hours have been clocked. Projected man hours for the entire project sit at 6,222,128. We watched them weld, pour, do a balancing act, which was described to us as fun, as well as lift the stadium into place, including what’s known as stadia.

“It can range from 7,000 pounds to 60,000 pounds,” Byrne said.

Crews arrive at 7 a.m. to bring the stadium to life for the more than 60,000 football fans who’ll fill it. When you do, be sure to take in the beautiful view of Buffalo's skyline and Lake Erie. 

Not all of the men and women working on the 1.35 million square foot open-air stadium are local. But they’ve all felt that "Buffalove." You better believe they’re putting it right back into every piece of the building.

“It's for the city of Buffalo,” Byrne said. “It’s for the city of Orchard Park, and that's what it's all about.”

Outside of the stadium, we're told 2.3 million cubic tons of asphalt will be laid across the parking lots for all of your "Bills Mafia" tailgating needs. The project is still on schedule. 

Once it’s done, 565 tees and more than 7,700 plants will be put into the ground.