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Today is a monumental day in the history of the Minnesota Vikings, as US Bank Stadium is officially open for business, and the keys have been officially handed over from Mortensen Construction to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission.
A short while ago, the team sent out this tweet:
Substantial Completion of @usbankstadium is reached 45 days early!
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 17, 2016
@mamortensoncohttps://t.co/LWYhornoqu pic.twitter.com/PJpUgia5Px
And Strib reporter Rochelle Olson tweeted out a couple of good pics of the occasion:
Mortenson hands over key to US Bank Stadium to state and Vikings. Building is essentially done. pic.twitter.com/3gd275iviq
— Rochelle Olson (@rochelleolson) June 17, 2016
And from late 2014, the progress has been remarkable:
This is what @usbankstadium looked like April 14, 2014. pic.twitter.com/sbBwEdg5fq
— Rochelle Olson (@rochelleolson) June 17, 2016
Honestly, there was a time when I didn't think this day would come. If you have some spare time, click back through some stories in our US Bank Stadium section, and you'll recall the roller coaster ride we had watching this come to fruition. But through the highs and lows, we not only got a stadium, but one that is, at least in my opinion, the best in the country.
US Bank Stadium has already been awarded a Super Bowl, and at some point I bet will host an NCAA Final Four, a Big Ten Football Conference Championship game, and a College Football Playoff Final. The first official event will be a soccer match between Chelsea and AC Milan on August 3rd.
US Bank Stadium is done a full six weeks early. Also, it's real, and it's spectacular.