Roma Moves ahead on Ambitious 1.5 Billion Euro Stadium Plan

Three-time Serie A champion Roma is moving ahead with an ambitious 1.5 billion euro ($1.7 billion) plan for a new, privately financed stadium and surrounding business and entertainment center on the city's outskirts.

The club's American president James Pallotta says that pending government approval, construction will begin by December and last up to two years.

Roma handed over a detailed dossier on the project to city authorities Monday.

With a design inspired by the Colosseum, the stadium will seat 52,500 spectators and be able to expand to 60,000 for major matches.

The site in Tor di Valle is about halfway between downtown and the Leonardo Da Vinci airport.

Costs for the stadium itself are estimated at 300 million euros ($335 million) but the overall price includes surrounding infrastructure and transport.