Los Angeles Rams break ground on new stadium — VIDEO

By GREG BEACHAM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

8 years ago

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, joins Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, center, and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. during groundbreaking ceremonies for the team’s new stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Richard Vogel/AP)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, is joined by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke during a ceremony for the groundbreaking for the team’s new stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Richard Vogel/AP)

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr., right, watches as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell puts on a hard had prior to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Los Angeles Rams’ new stadium and entertainment district in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Richard Vogel/AP)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, is joined by Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke during groundbreaking ceremonies for the team’s new stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Richard Vogel/AP)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams have broken ground on their billion-dollar stadium and its surrounding entertainment district.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts donned hard hats and turned over ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt Thursday to mark the official start of construction on the former site of the Hollywood Park racetrack, next door to the famed Forum.

The huge site is already buzzing with crews working toward the scheduled August 2019 opening of the estimated $2.6 billion project. The stadium already is booked to host the Super Bowl in February 2021.

The stadium is the first built specifically for an NFL team in Los Angeles. Kroenke has returned the Rams to the market after a 21-year absence.