Raising the roof on the Vikings stadium

A crane moved a 400,000-pound steel roof section into place at the new Vikings stadium today, as the new building starts to take shape in the Minneapolis skyline.

The building will rise about 300 feet above the ground when complete. One of the world's biggest mobile cranes is on the site, hoisting the stadium structure onto shoring towers.

Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, said the structures going up in coming days will weigh hundreds of tons and will span over the length of the new football field.

"You'll see the large steel truss, which we're actually told is one of the largest, certainly in the United States, some people say in the world," Kelm-Helgen said. "All I know is that its very large. But it's starting to give you a sense of the size and scale of the building."

Construction started on the building last December and is scheduled to be finished July 2016.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.