The official ribbon cutting for U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis isn’t happening until July 22, which leaves the construction team a good chunk of time to finish the project.
The Vikings say that they aren’t going to need it. The team announced on Friday that work on their new home is “substantially complete,” which in construction parlance means that there’s only minor work left to be done, and “ready for business.” As a result, Mortenson Construction “symbolically” turned the keys over to the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority on Friday.
“Today’s achievement is an incredible feat by HKS, Mortenson Construction, the MSFA and the Vikings, as well as the hundreds of subcontractors and thousands of Minnesota men and women who worked on this project over the last two and a half years,” Vikings owner/president Mark Wilf said in a statement. “U.S. Bank Stadium was designed with the fan experience as the number one priority, and to accomplish this milestone ahead of schedule is a testament to the talent and dedication by so many.”
The first sporting event in the building will be a soccer match between AC Milan and Chelsea on August 3 with the Vikings playing their first home preseason game on August 28. Their home opener in the regular season comes in Week Two when they host the Packers on Sunday night.