MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have won approval to contribute more money toward the construction of their new home.
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority on Friday approved $50 million in new private financing for the U.S. Bank Stadium under construction in downtown Minneapolis.
The Vikings originally were to spend $477 million to build the more than $1 billion stadium, with taxpayers picking up $498 million. But Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1UOghmJ ) reports that the team's contribution has since grown by 31 percent, and could approach $630 million by this summer.
"This gives the team more flexibility to put more money in the project in ways that we normally haven't done," Ted Mondale, the sports facilities authority's executive director, said of the new agreement.