INDIANAPOLIS — Lucas Oil Stadium may have the allure of a new football stadium, but the home of the Colts entered the NFL the same year as the team's veteran quarterback, Joe Flacco. The stadium's defining feature is about to go through some major work to keep up with the times.
Lucas Oil Stadium's retractable roof will soon receive a software upgrade, its first since the stadium opened in 2008. The Capital Improvement Board signed off on the upgrade last week and the work should be complete by next summer.
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"The roof is really well-designed, but it just needs some tender loving care when it's time to press the button and open it," said Lucas Oil Stadium director Eric Neuburger.
The Colts played under an open Lucas Oil Stadium roof during their season opener on September 8. The roof has been closed for every Colts home game since then.
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Colts owner Jim Irsay posted to social media on October 20 that the roof was closed that weekend due to "operational issues." The roof remained closed during Sunday's match-up against the Buffalo Bills.
"It would have been the perfect day to have it open, it would have been really cool," said Ana Klebau, a Colts fan who traveled from California to watch the Colts-Bills game.
"We were like, maybe they won't open it, maybe they will, but they had the window open, so it was half good, I guess," said Matthew Montgomery, a Bills fan who visited Indianapolis for the game.
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Neuburger said the roof will run as good as new when the upgrades are finished.
"We're replacing all of the computer communications, software, and drives, all of the different engines that actually move that very large roof," Neuburger said. "It's a big part of an asset that cost nearly a billion dollars to construct 20 years ago. It's part of our responsibility."
Even with the roof closed, visiting fans said they remained impressed with Lucas Oil Stadium.
"The stadium itself is beautiful," Klebau said. "My son says I'm biased, but I don't think so."
"I'd be more than satisfied if they plunked one of these in downtown Buffalo," said Joey Yanulevich, a Bills fan who traveled to Lucas Oil Stadium with Montgomery. "I don't mind that if there's a blizzard outside, I wouldn't have to worry about putting cardboard down on my seat or any of that."
