Another reason UNT "must" build a new football stadium is that the Texas Department of Transportation has in their master plan for Interstate 35-E (which runs parallel to our present stadium) the need to purchase from UNT land that is adjacent right up to the west stadium side of our present football stadium, ie, Fouts Field.
When UNT has the grand opening for its new football stadium, Fouts Field will be demolished so TDOT can carry on with their interstate construction plans. For the rest of the Fouts parking lot areas, new dorms and academic buildings are in the campus master plan. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin, Texas, projects that UNT will grow to an enrollment of between 41-43,000 students in the next 10 years.
UNT has no choice but to build a new football stadium, yet has a perfect place in which to do so and a place that is adjacent to UNT's main campus across I-35E. A huge and very wide bridge that will span the interstate and one that may likely even get federal funding (along with expected state funding) will have pedestrian lanes and a wide space for vehicles.
UNT could possibly even use tram-trains such as those who pick up pedestrians in remote areas of parking lots at places like theme parks, major league venues, etc, to transport student/fans from the main campus dormitory areas to any of the venues at Eagle Point Campus. This new bridge will span UNT's main campus to the new west campus where the 200 acre Mean Green Athletic Village will very impressively set between the 2 Texas interstates. There may not be a better located college football stadium in the Lone Star State or the Southwest.
Phase I of all this, a $40 million multi-facility project which includes our new Athletic Center is 99% complete as I post . When all facilities are completed, it will (somewhat) look like a mini-Olympic village but with all the major sports venues setting inside that 200 acre village. A new men's varsity baseball complex and tennix complex have already been funded and both of these venues in the Mean Green Athletic Village should begin construction this Spring or Summer.
UNT's chief fundraisers have identified a handful of Texans (maybe even one non-Texan) of which any one of them could single-handely fund a completely new 35-40,000 seat stadium across I-35E from our present stadium. Again, a new stadium that will set on about 200 acres of land between I35-E (that goes to Dalllas) and Interstate 35-W (which goes to Fort Worth). So if you will, UNT and Denton are located at the tip of the triangle 35 miles north of Dallas and 35 miles north Fort Worth.
NOTE: MG61, if you could post the new photo link of this stadium as you have on
http://www.GoMeanGreen.com today, I think some might be interested to see that. Thanks in advance....:)
