Construction on the new Vikings stadium is nearing completion, but there are still a few things left on the "to-do" list, including switching out old freeway signs that direct fans to the Metrodome.
Last vestiges of Metrodome disappear with new highway signs for U.S. Bank Stadium
Contractors hired by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will do the work in May and June.
During May and June, contractors hired by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will take down five obsolete "Metrodome Stadium" signs on freeways in Minneapolis and replace them with signs carrying the name of the Vikings' new home, U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) will pay $46,480.32 for the new aluminum signs, which will feature white lettering on a brown background, according to MnDOT project engineer Nariman Vanaki.
One of the overhead signs shares a panel with Augsburg College in Minneapolis, and another shares a panel with a hospital. The college will pay just over $2,000 for its new sign, while MnDOT will cover the cost of the sign for the hospital, according to the contract awarded to Global Specialty Contractors, which will hang the stadium signs on bridge decks or overhead fixtures.
The old Metrodome signs "worn and years old will be disposed of," said MSFA chairwoman Michele Kelm-Helgen. "They are damaged and in poor condition. Fans will not be able to buy them."
The outdated Metrodome signs on northbound Interstate 35W in the downtown Minneapolis commons, southbound I-35W near Hennepin Avenue, eastbound I-394 at Wirth Parkway, westbound I-94 near Riverside Avenue and eastbound/southbound I-94 near the Dowling Avenue N. exit are some of the last vestiges of the stadium where the Vikings, Twins and Gophers once played.
The Vikings' new $1.1 billion stadium is set to open in July.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
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