Vikings Stadium Bill Passed by Minnesota Senate

It appears the Vikings will remain in Minnesota after all.

The final Vikings Stadium bill was passed by the Minnesota Senate on Thursday by a vote of 36-30, according to Tom Hauser of KSTP-TV in Minnesota. Hauser says that a stadium bill signing will not happen until next week.

The project will cost $975 million, approximately half of which the Vikings will pay,

The move goes a long way towards the Vikings staying in Minnesota. Many feared that the team would be on its way to another city, most likely Los Angeles, if lawmakers didn't pass the bill.

The bill allows the Vikings to stay in Minnesota for 30 more years. They have been playing at the Metrodome since 1982. The franchise was created in 1961.

The Vikings lease has expired on the Metrodome, and they have been looking to play in a new stadium for more than a decade. It has shown to be in very bad condition. The roof of the stadium collapsed late in 2010 after a snowstorm.

The plan is to build a new stadium where the Metrodome currently sits.

According to the Star-Tribune in Minnesota, the bill gives $2.7 million per year for the city for sports facilities, and allows the Target Center, which is home to the Timberwolves, to become renovated.