The summer of 2002 may seem to be a long way off, but the pace is anything but slow at the construction site for Houston's new gridiron showcase.
As motorists whisk by on Kirby Drive or the 610 Loop, they can see daily progress on what will be the world's first retractable-roof football stadium.
"Most of the work is focused on the west side," Executive Vice President Steve Patterson says. "The architects are wrapping up their final packages for the interior design and the site development around the stadium."
The foundation for the supercolumns has been poured. The supercolumns on the west side are about 60 percent complete, currently standing approximately 80 feet high. Workers have also poured slabs for the main concourse, the first level of suites and the club concourses. Foundation work on the second level of suites should begin shortly.
"We're really starting to get a sense of the scale of the building," Patterson says. "As we move along, people will begin to see how striking this structure is. It literally sits 60 feet off Kirby Drive."
Construction is also well underway for the exhibit hall north of the Astrodome, slated to open in April of 2002. Design work has started on two projects west of Kirby. The first is a new parking lot on seven acres of land owned by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The objective for that land is to have 900 parking spaces for the Rodeo this coming February. And design work has also started on the Texans' practice facility.
The summer of 2002 may seem to be a long way off, but the pace is anything but slow at the construction site for Houston's new gridiron showcase.
As motorists whisk by on Kirby Drive or the 610 Loop, they can see daily progress on what will be the world's first retractable-roof football stadium.
"Most of the work is focused on the west side," Executive Vice President Steve Patterson says. "The architects are wrapping up their final packages for the interior design and the site development around the stadium."
The foundation for the supercolumns has been poured. The supercolumns on the west side are about 60 percent complete, currently standing approximately 80 feet high. Workers have also poured slabs for the main concourse, the first level of suites and the club concourses. Foundation work on the second level of suites should begin shortly.
"We're really starting to get a sense of the scale of the building," Patterson says. "As we move along, people will begin to see how striking this structure is. It literally sits 60 feet off Kirby Drive."
Construction is also well underway for the exhibit hall north of the Astrodome, slated to open in April of 2002. Design work has started on two projects west of Kirby. The first is a new parking lot on seven acres of land owned by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The objective for that land is to have 900 parking spaces for the Rodeo this coming February. And design work has also started on the Texans' practice facility.
