Construction is continuing at Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins are preparing for the latest round of upgrades.
Leading up to the 2016 season, one of the more anticipated football facility developments was the second phase of the renovation to Hard Rock Stadium. In what was the perhaps most extensive portion of the project, the Dolphins added a new canopy over the seating bowl and installed state-of-the-art video screens in the each of the stadium’s four corners.
That followed a seating upgrade that took place before the 2015 season. In tandem, those projects amount to a dramatic overhaul of the facility, but more changes are in the works for 2017.
This year will mark phase three of the renovation. In that part of the project, one of the main additions will be an overhauled club level, which will give many of Hard Rock Stadium’s premium areas a refreshed appearance. According to Dolphins president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, work is progressing nicely, and the Dolphins foresee the project finishing well in advance of the NFL season. More from the Palm Beach Post:
“The renovations are going fine,” Garfinkel said at the seventh annual Dolphins Cancer Challenge. “All the suite and club levels are torn up and demoed now. Everything’s on schedule. I think compared to the last two years, this year should be pretty easy.”
Garfinkel said various other “amenities” and “final touches” are in the works, but that doesn’t compare to last summer, when huge cranes had to be disassembled outside the stadium, then reassembled on the field, as crews worked 24/7. Everyone prayed no hurricane hit.
Remember when one preseason game was moved to Orlando, sparking (unfounded) concerns that the stadium wouldn’t be ready for the regular season?
“We should be done by the end of July this year, maybe sooner,” Garfinkel said.
Hard Rock Stadium is expected to host more non-football more events over the coming years, and this summer’s concert slate includes U2, Metallica, and Coldplay. However, the renovations have also allowed South Florida to secure the NFL’s biggest game, as Hard Rock Stadium will host Super LIV in 2020.
Rendering courtesy Miami Dolphins.