Martin Stadium upgrade: In living color

PULLMAN -- The first two phases of the $75+ million upgrade of Martin Stadium are well underway and will be mostly completed by the time the season starts. Among the highlights: doubling the size of the Northeast corner concourse; new concessions; new entry and plaza; and an increase in the number of toilets and urinals from 118 to a whopping 343.

Cougfan.com today took a behind-the-scenes tour of the project and this is what we saw ...

STADIUM UPGRADE NOTES:

* The north side work will be almost completely done by September, but the east and the south will have some lingering to-dos when the season starts.

* The northeast corner is perhaps the most visible change to Martin. There will be two main entry gates in and around the old Butch's Cage area, along with doubling the size of the concourse on that side.

* The east end zone entrance still will be under construction this fall, but will be eye-catching when done next spring, with pillars and architectural gating.

* The state-of-the-art scoreboard is on a separate timeline from the first two phases, and probably won't be in place until 2008. Final preparations -- and major gifts fundraising -- are underway for Phase III, and will involve the addition of premium seating behind the student section. The design of Phase IV will start when Phase III is funded and construction started.

Phase IV will enclose the east end in a bowl of about 5,000 seats. Phases III and IV will boost Martin's seating capacity to 43,000, up from the current 35,117.