I visited with a member of my ward tonight who is an engineer for a steel fabricating company. They are currently providing the steel for the new Warriors stadium in SF and have worked on many temples and other large structures throughout the country. The Church has made a decision to reboot closing the corners off at LES. Apparently this was in the works a couple of years ago and for a number of different reasons the project was halted. He has been looking at the architects plans for the renovation along with the old plans of LES to help put the engineering and steel fabrication in place. Here are a few of the highlights of the conversation. 

1. LES is not up to current seismic code. In other words.....you couldn't build the same stadium today and get the permits necessary to do so. Even the retrofitting they have tried to do is questionable by today's standards. One of the challenges with the proposed changes is they are trying not to touch the old structure because it could drive the cost up dramatically if there is additional retrofitting/modification needed to the old structure where it connects to the new structure. He didn't get into details, but it is a big concern for the project to make it through budgeting, etc. The Church has allocated a certain amount of money for the project and don't want to go down a rabbit hole of escalating costs.
2. He believes the current structure under load (occupied) would not survive a significant seismic event. It would fold like a cheap tent. The whole stadium is basically a bunch of vertical supports with cross bracing which wouldn't meet current building codes (see above). Take a look at those big cross supports with the screws holding them in place the next time you are down there.
3. The finishing in the corners is not going to include seats. 
4. The plan is to widen the concourse on the east and west bleachers and wrap it around both endzones. Better ingress and egress ramps will be added. No more switchbacks or cirlcular ramps. 
5. Expansion will include new bathrooms, food options etc. 
6. The current sheet metal railings will be replaced on the exterior of the concourses as well.
7. The idea behind the changes is more about moving people around the stadium. Right now both enzones and the east/west bleachers are flooded with people trying to go up/down and in and out of the LES.
8. Food and bathroom up on the councourse will keep people upstairs instead of hunting for amenities downstairs.
9. The funding for the project is coming out of the general fund. He said it was being driven by the Church at this point and he couldn't give me all the details. 
10. His last comment to me was he wouldn't be surprised if the plug gets pulled again on the project if they run into inforseen costs as they work throuhg the engineering. He has been around the stadium several times going over multiple concerns with the architect and other engineers and if they find some solutions work could start at the end of the 2018 season.