The Vikings’ new stadium is designed to not collapse under the weight of snow, unlike its predecessor. Remaining in one piece during a non-winter storm, is not a sure thing, yet.
Via Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a Tuesday storm caused several panels on the exterior of U.S. Bank Stadium to become loose. On Wednesday, stadium officials couldn’t explain the situation.
The panels will simply be reinstalled, unless it turns out that damage to the panels requires replacement.
Vikings V.P. Lester Bagley said the team would work with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority to “get to the bottom of it” and implement a “permanent fix.”
The best news is that no panels have fallen, yet. Obviously, it becomes critical to ensure that hazards of this specific kind won’t exist when fans are entering and exiting the stadium, beginning with an open house on the weekend of July 23 that 80,000 fans are expected to attend.
Meanwhile, PFT Live will be broadcasting live from U.S. Bank Stadium on July 21 and (ideally) July 22, the day on which the ribbon will be cut and the venue will be declared open. More significantly, NBC’s Sunday Night Football will be broadcasting from the venue on the evening of September 18, when the Vikings host the Packers for the first regular season game to be played in the new stadium.
