and Steve Irvine --- The Birmingham News

The University of Alabama at Birmingham plans to build a horseshoe-style football stadium at the intersection of Sixth Avenue South and 12th Street, according to an updated strategic plan.



University officials plan to present the new campus master plan to the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on Thursday afternoon. The stadium is expected to have about 25,000 to 30,000 seats and will sit beside a large plaza with room for tailgating.



"The Stadium will serve as a unique landmark within the campus and the City Center," the strategic plan reads, and will include views of the downtown skyline and a connecting walkway to other athletic facilities across University Boulevard.



The master plan, which was presented in draft form last fall, also calls for new access roads lining Interstate 65, a new science complex on University Boulevard and 18th Street South, and the eventual elimination of much of the street parking on campus, which would be replaced by parking decks.