Who’s building Macon’s sports and events arena?

Macon is set to break ground this summer on a new sports and events arena off Interstate 16 near the Coliseum on the east side of the Ocmulgee River.

Construction is expected to start in July and be completed by May 2028, Mayor Lester Miller has said. Despite approval by commissioners months ago, the county said in early January the contracts had not yet been executed. A final cost for the arena has yet to be determined.

“There will be an estimated figure once the design is closer to complete and the pre-construction work has been done to match the designs,” Macon-Bibb County spokesperson Chris Floore said. “Those two steps will give us an idea of the cost we can begin to expect.”

The county has earmarked $5.7 million, so far, of the total $450 million set to be collected from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax that Bibb County voters approved in March.

The more than 200,000-square-foot arena will be designed to “achieve a manifested bowl seating capacity of approximately 8,500 in an end-stage, 180-degrees concert configuration, with flexible reconfiguration for sports and other entertainment events,” according to the county’s solicitation documents. Plans also call for a 1,200-car parking deck beside it.

The Coliseum is expected to remain open and operating during the arena construction. Some county documents show plans to demolish the 58-year-old venue once the arena is built, but other records indicate the demolition is speculative.

Here’s a closer look at the companies picked to design and build the arena.

MFA Program Management

PBK Architects

Barton Malow

Sheridan Construction