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Seats have been added to wrap around the Cotton Bowl, increasing capacity to more than 92,000.

DALLAS — Just in time for the State Fair of Texas and three college games during its run, Dallas unveiled $57 million of improvements at the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday.

There are more seats, bigger concession areas and added restrooms.

The Cotton Bowl, which opened in 1930 and was expanded in 1948, looks like it has never looked before. The city believes this is now one of the best college stadiums in the nation.

It finally lives up to its name; with the addition of some 16,000 seats in the end zones — including new upper decks — the stadium completely surrounds the field.

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Mayor Leppert praised the new-look Cotton Bowl.

"This is a turning point," said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. "It's time to stop looking back and asking the 'what if?' questions and instead to double our efforts to promote new college games here and to get other events right here in Fair Park."

The flip-down seats are gone, replaced by benches that boost capacity to 92,100.

On the inside, improvements to the former home of the Dallas Cowboys include the players' locker rooms, new locker rooms for coaches, and a media center.

But the city spent the most on fan amenities.

"I would say they were probably a strong 4, and now they are 9-1/2 or 10," said Dallas Park and Recreation Director Paul Dyer.

For moving fans in and out of the facility, the city added four new gates for a total of six.

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Fans will be accomodated with a new, wider concourse.

Two wider concourses let people walk all the way around the stadium.

The Cotton Bowl previously offered just nine concession stands; now there are 30.

And in what the city calls the most important improvement, 1,100 new toilet fixtures were installed. The stadium had only 330 before the makeover.

"This stadium is a completely different feel," Dyer said. "Now ... when you come here, it feels like a social event; you're not just cramming in for a football game."

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New aluminum benches replaced chairs.

Although Mayor Leppert wants to look forward, a big question from the past remains: Will taxpayers see any economic benefit from this investment in a stadium that's nearly 80 years old?

The Cotton Bowl Classic leaves Dallas after January to play future games at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington. The Cotton Bowl has just four games a year scheduled after that.

If more colleges don't sign up for dates at Fair Park, the city will have improved a stadium that sits empty most of the time.

E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com