LA Coliseum renovation progressing, football fans should expect changes

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A $270 million renovation project at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is moving forward as scheduled.

As football season approaches, fans planning to attend Rams or USC games need to prepare for some changes.

"Everybody will be going through some kind of an adjustment in terms of where they used to sit, to where they're going to sit this year, how it's going to change in 2019 season," USC Athletic Director Lynn Swan said. "Growing pains."

But the changes are far bigger than just seat location.

There's less parking due in part to construction of the neighboring Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts, which has eliminated roughly 1,000 spaces on the west side of Exposition Park between Vermont Avenue and Bill Robertson Lane.

Cash parking lots in Exposition Park are gone, so fans are encouraged to use public transit such as the Expo Line or Metro Silver Line Transit express.

"If you want to get here and get rid of the traffic and (put) some ease on your commute, go Metro," L.A. Coliseum Director of Events & Customer Service Kevin Daly said.

The limited press boxes and suites have been converted into construction trailers for this season, which could make it more difficult for fans to navigate the stadium.

"On your ticket, you will see an assigned entrance gate for fans to enter," Daly explained. "This is mostly due to the fact that the Coliseum is no longer a 360."

There will be no east-west access between tunnels 5 and 9 on the concourse level or outside the south walls on the street level.

The project is on budget, according to officials, and will be completed by the start of the 2019 season.

Construction workers signed the final steel beam on Wednesday.

"We've accomplished something big," construction worker Eddie Villasenor said. "I used to live down the street from here, so, yeah, it was nice working on this Coliseum."

Besides finishing the press box and suite-level facility, crews will also spend the next offseason replacing the roughly 50,000 remaining seats, aisles and handrails that haven't yet been upgraded.

When completed, the venue will be known as United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.

The City News Service contributed to this report.