Roof deflated ahead of impending demolition works.
It took 35 minutes to deflate the Metrodome’s roof.
The deflation began at 7:15 a.m. Saturday morning, despite uncertainty about wind and snowy weather conditions.
The middle of the snow-laden roof sagged in first.
Officials from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority opened the relief vents to begin the deflation — a move that permits the Dome’s 10 acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric to slowly deflate. Snow on the roof was expected to speed the process, the MSFA said.
The deflation will make way for construction of a new $1 billion Vikings stadium, which will be located roughly where the Dome stands in downtown Minneapolis.
Construction has already begun with the excavation of a giant crater on the eastern stretch of the property to make way for the new structure’s pilings. The Vikings played their final game in the Dome on Dec. 29, so stadium officials need to deflate the roof to prepare for the 31-year-old structure’s demolition piece by piece, beginning next week.
The Dome’s roof fabric will be recycled by St. Paul-based excavator Frattalone Companies, which will cut it up and use it for future construction projects. Already the turf and most of the bright-blue seats have been removed, leaving a kind of concrete shell inside the stadium.
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