The Pittsburgh Steelers are studying the feasibility of adding at least 2,500 seats to Heinz Field, the *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette* reported Tuesday.
One hurdle an expansion would face is how to handle parking in the immediate area. In part because of the potential additions, the Stadium Authority, which leases the stadium to the Steelers, voted on Monday to spend $20,000 to study the parking situation on the North Shore.
Steelers co-owner and President Art Rooney II told authority officials that the team is studying whether Heinz Field, which seats 65,000, could be expanded by several thousand.
"It's probably somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 [additional seats], and it would be in the south end zone," he said. That is the open side of Heinz Field, where the scoreboard sits.
The demand for extra tickets certainly exists as the Steelers regularly sell out. Construction wouldn't begin until 2012, at the earliest, according to the Post-Gazette.
"Since we moved into Heinz Field, obviously we've been studying the demand for tickets," Rooney said. "We feel satisfied at this point that there's certainly enough demand to consider expanding capacity."
Rooney added that any addition would include general and reserved seating.
