MSFA breaks ground on $975 million stadium

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) and the Minnesota Vikings, in partnership with Mortenson Construction and project associate Thor Construction, broke ground on the new $975 million multi-purpose stadium that will replace the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in the downtown. The ceremonial groundbreaking signifies the start of construction on the 65,000 seat, 1.7 million s/f facility, scheduled for completion in July 2016. "We are proud to be here today to officially break ground for one of the most iconic stadiums in the country," said Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the MSFA. "We set out to design a stadium that can accommodate all kinds of events, from high school and collegiate football, soccer and baseball, professional football, to community events, conventions and concerts. After a lot of hard work, we succeeded. I'd like to thank all of our partners, the Vikings organization, HKS and Mortenson Construction for getting us all here today." Designed by leading sports architectural firm HKS Sport & Entertainment Group, the stadium's bold, progressive design combines efficient functionality with stunning architecture. With a soaring prow, the largest transparent roof in the nation, and operable doors that open to a three-acre plaza and the downtown skyline, the facility's openness and sleek geometric exterior will make it unlike any other stadium in the country. While serving as the home for Vikings football, the facility will also be capable of hosting as many events as any other large stadium in the world, including NCAA tournaments, BCS Championships, a Super Bowl, high school and collegiate sports, conventions, community events and concerts. Despite its versatility, the stadium will put football fans closer to the field than any other NFL stadium. "This is a monumental day for the Vikings, our fans, and the entire State of Minnesota," said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. "We are grateful for the hundreds of hours of hard work that have been committed to this project by so many people. Today we have a chance to celebrate putting thousands of people back to work in building one of the best facilities in the world." Construction of the new stadium will require nearly 4.3 million work hours and will involve 7,500 tradespeople from 19 different trades and hundreds of local subcontractors and suppliers. In addition, the MSFA and the Vikings have established a Targeted Business Program that sets an 11% and 9% goal for construction contracts for the project to be awarded to women - and minority-owned business enterprises, respectively. The stadium project has also set construction workforce goals for utilization of women and minorities during construction of 32% minority and 6% women participation. Already a number of subcontracts have been executed in the past week, many of which are going to Minnesota-based companies: · Ames Construction of Burnsville will complete mass excavation, utilities, and demolition of the Metrodome, working with Frattalone Companies of Little Canada for demolition services · Veit Companies of Rogers, Minnesota will construct the drilled pier foundations ·LeJeune Steel Company of Minneapolis will provide steel fabrication for the new stadium, and Danny's Construction of Shakopee, a certified women-owned business, will handle steel erection for the new stadium · Tarraf Construction, a certified minority owned company from Eden Prairie will be providing container services for excavation and demolition "Today we celebrate the start of building this amazing facility that will serve the community and generations of fans for years to come," said John Wood, senior vice president at Mortenson Construction. "Built for Minnesota by Minnesotans, thousands of workers and hundreds of companies will have a hand in building this project over the next 31 months."