By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Don Webb, the Raiders’ point man on the NFL team’s $1.97 billion stadium project, was an impressive fountain of information about the domed 65,000-seat venue being built on the west side of Interstate 15 not too far from the Strip.
On a Monday noon tour led by Webb, he mentioned stadium anecdotes like the venue housing 120 suites with about 20-22 seats per suite and 352 loge seats; 100 roof cables with the longest one stretching 700 feet; the Al Davis torch standing 85 feet tall and 57 escalators helping fans get to their seats and leave the palatial stadium.
But he’s not giving up the magic behind the Al Davis torch flame that will adorn the stadium interior on its north side. It’s not going be a hologram. And it’s not going to be a real flame. Nobody could beat that bit of info out of Webb, who noted the building is scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2020.
“This was not intended to mimic any other stadium,” Webb said.
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The Mega Screen
Let’s run through some of the stadium’s features. Let’s start with that giant video board on the side of the stadium that will be facing Interstate 15 and Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. It’s not a hard-back video board. The screen will be made of a mesh product material so that fans inside the stadium can see out. Here’s the view from today.
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The Al Davis Torch
Former owner Al Davis may be gone, but he certainly will not be forgotten with the 85-tall torch that will stand proudly on the stadium’s north side. It can be seen from outside the domed stadium because sliding doors that are 85 feet tall and 225 feet wide wide will slide open on that north side. The skeletal frame of that torch was being built.
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The Views
Webb was especially proud that fans inside the building can see the Strip to the east and on a day like today snow-topped Mount Charleston to the west.
And looking west to Mount Charleston.
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The Playing Surface Sliding Tray
It will take 90 minutes to slide in the tray of grass for Raiders games and the tray of artificial turf for the UNLV football games. Webb said the technology for this in the Arizona stadium has been studied and the Raiders stadium system of sliding in the trays of playing field surfaces will be efficient. He’s checking out the area here.
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The Suites
There will be two levels of suites and here’s a view from one of them. There are 120 suites in all. A photo and video offer you the perspective.
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The Roof
Webb said 100 cables will secure the fixed, lightweight translucent roof. “It’s not transparent,” Webb stressed. He expects the roof to be completed by the end of April 2020.
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The Escalators
The Raiders know well about the escalator situation at the Minnesota Vikings stadium and there is no shortage of escalators at Allegiant Stadium. Webb said there are 57 escalators in the venue.
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Here’s a good look at the interior of the stadium so far. Southern Nevada is giving the Raiders $750 million toward the construction of the $1.4 billion stadium, which is the biggest part of the $1.97 billion overall stadium project.
Webb had other updates, too:
^The Raiders headquarters in Henderson is expected to completed by June 5.
^Sam Boyd Stadium, which hosted its final UNLV football game Saturday, will “no longer be operating” after the Raiders stadium is completed and open for business.
^The Raiders stadium had some delays in steel delivery, but construction workers took that time to work out of sequence on various stadium projects so the stadium completion date is still set for July 31, 2020. For example, some rooms with cabinets, doors, lights and floors are already completed.
Here’s Webb discuss the sequencing of work projects and what he calls work projects on the “critical path.”
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