Qwest Field replacing FieldTurf with FieldTurf. (Image courtesy Washington State Public Stadium Authority)

SEATTLE — Qwest Field, home of the NFL Seattle Seahawks, is replacing its 6-year-old FieldTurf synthetic field with a new FieldTurf synthetic field, reported the Puget Sound Business Journal.

The Washington State Public Stadium Authority unanimously approved the decision recently. Team general counsel Lance Lopes said that safety along with aesthetics were factors in the decision. He said that the team had conducted tests showing that the sand/rubber infill had become compressed, according to the Journal.

The replacement is expected to take about six weeks and should be done in time for the Dalai Lama’s scheduled April rally at the stadium.

Qwest Field is an open-air stadium with a roof protecting 70% of the 67,000 fixed seats. It opened in 2002.

“Qwest Field playing surface to be replaced,” Puget Sound Business Journal