The New Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta may not be ready for Opening Day
"The Falcons organization expects to receive an update within seven to 10 days on the construction timeline for Mercedes-Benz Stadium ā an update that should shed light on whether the retractable roof will be completed in time for the stadiumās scheduled opening.
The complex roof already has delayed the opening twice ā first from the original target of March 1 to June 1 and then from June 1 to July 30.
In a statement provided Tuesday night to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Steve Cannon, CEO of Falcons parent company AMB Group, said the organization hasnāt changed the July 30 opening date but is āroutinely working through the construction timelines.ā
āNo announced event dates have been changed, and work is moving forward at a rapid pace,ā Cannon said. āMany areas of the building are finished, and others are nearing completion. We are routinely working through the construction timelines with our partners, and with any building this size, scope and complexity, adjustments to construction timelines are expected.ā
The possibility of further such adjustments raises some obvious questions, including whether the Falcons (and Atlanta United) could play in the stadium before the roof is operable or whether they might have to play elsewhere.
Brett Jewkes, AMB Groupās senior vice president and chief communications officer, declined to speculate on such questions, saying an update on the project schedule is expected in about seven to 10 days and stressing that no events have been rescheduled as of now.
Mercedes-Benz Stadiumās first scheduled event is an Atlanta United match on July 30, followed by two more United matches in August and two Chick-fil-A Kickoff college-football games in early September: Alabama-Florida State on Sept. 2 and Georgia Tech-Tennessee on Sept. 4. Dates for Falcons home games are expected to be announced next month by the NFL, along with the rest of the leagueās 2017 schedule.
It is not known whether the Georgia Dome, which officially closed after a Monster Jam trucks show on March 5 and is slated for demolition this summer, could be an option at this point to host more events if necessary. Two spokespersons for the Georgia World Congress Center Authority did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night about the Mercedes-Benz Stadium roof issue.
The first-of-its-kind roof consists of eight petals, each to be installed in four pieces. The roof is designed to open or close in about eight minutes with what architects have described as a ācamera lens-likeā effect. A 58-foot-tall video board will hang from the circumference of the roof opening, encircling the field.
The GWCCAās latest project status report on Mercedes-Benz Stadium, dated Feb. 28, did not address the completion date. The report said āthe mid-section of the petals on the operable roof are currently being erectedā and that installation would continue over the next 30 days on the āoperable petal tracks.ā
LEADOFF: Will roof issues delay Falcons stadium again?
"The Falcons organization expects to receive an update within seven to 10 days on the construction timeline for Mercedes-Benz Stadium ā an update that should shed light on whether the retractable roof will be completed in time for the stadiumās scheduled opening.
The complex roof already has delayed the opening twice ā first from the original target of March 1 to June 1 and then from June 1 to July 30.
In a statement provided Tuesday night to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Steve Cannon, CEO of Falcons parent company AMB Group, said the organization hasnāt changed the July 30 opening date but is āroutinely working through the construction timelines.ā
āNo announced event dates have been changed, and work is moving forward at a rapid pace,ā Cannon said. āMany areas of the building are finished, and others are nearing completion. We are routinely working through the construction timelines with our partners, and with any building this size, scope and complexity, adjustments to construction timelines are expected.ā
The possibility of further such adjustments raises some obvious questions, including whether the Falcons (and Atlanta United) could play in the stadium before the roof is operable or whether they might have to play elsewhere.
Brett Jewkes, AMB Groupās senior vice president and chief communications officer, declined to speculate on such questions, saying an update on the project schedule is expected in about seven to 10 days and stressing that no events have been rescheduled as of now.
Mercedes-Benz Stadiumās first scheduled event is an Atlanta United match on July 30, followed by two more United matches in August and two Chick-fil-A Kickoff college-football games in early September: Alabama-Florida State on Sept. 2 and Georgia Tech-Tennessee on Sept. 4. Dates for Falcons home games are expected to be announced next month by the NFL, along with the rest of the leagueās 2017 schedule.
It is not known whether the Georgia Dome, which officially closed after a Monster Jam trucks show on March 5 and is slated for demolition this summer, could be an option at this point to host more events if necessary. Two spokespersons for the Georgia World Congress Center Authority did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night about the Mercedes-Benz Stadium roof issue.
The first-of-its-kind roof consists of eight petals, each to be installed in four pieces. The roof is designed to open or close in about eight minutes with what architects have described as a ācamera lens-likeā effect. A 58-foot-tall video board will hang from the circumference of the roof opening, encircling the field.
The GWCCAās latest project status report on Mercedes-Benz Stadium, dated Feb. 28, did not address the completion date. The report said āthe mid-section of the petals on the operable roof are currently being erectedā and that installation would continue over the next 30 days on the āoperable petal tracks.ā
LEADOFF: Will roof issues delay Falcons stadium again?
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