The University expects to spend at least $150 million in construction costs for an on-campus stadium with 50,000 seats, a University official said Wednesday.

Kathleen O’Brien, vice president for University Services, said the estimate is an early figure and is subject to change.

“Until you get to the end of the schematic design, it’s pretty hypothetical,” she said.

O’Brien also said several construction firms have expressed interest in the project.

University officials received the estimate – which covers only a section of the project’s total costs – from a stadium predesign and feasibility study that will be released next week.

Several consulting firms the University hired this fall to begin developing the project completed the study.

The study will also estimate the cost of transportation, pollution cleanup and other changes needed for the proposed stadium site. The Huron Boulevard Parking Complex,

located on the northeast side of the East Bank campus, occupies the proposed site.

After the feasibility study, one of the next steps will be to find a project manager who will continue the project design and fine-tune costs, O’Brien said.

The University could pick someone from within the institution, but O’Brien said officials will likely look for an outside company to avoid disrupting regular University business.

She also said the project is not official and will likely depend on what money is available to continue its development.

University President Bob Bruininks publicly announced several times this fall that the project will require substantial private donations.

South Dakota banker T. Denny Sanford and the University’s general counsel are still negotiating Sanford’s possible $35 million donation.

The University’s Board of Regents will discuss the feasibility study with University administration officials Dec. 11.

“It is a long journey,” O’Brien said. “To do it well, it takes time and patience.”