On the former Tropicana site, the south Strip skyline now holds something new. The steel roof arches of the Athletics' ballpark are rising there, with the fourth of five under construction, and the highest point sits at about 290 feet, roughly level with the MGM Grand across Tropicana Avenue. Green shoring towers hold up parts of the roof frame, and connector trusses are filling the gaps between the arches.
This version of the view won't last long. The A's construction schedule set the temporary supports to start coming down in late October, while arches were still going up. It finishes the steel frame around December and begins covering the arches with roof panels in early 2027. By August 2027 the building is supposed to be fully enclosed. For anyone keeping an eye on the south Strip skyline, the open frame is a seasonal sight.
How the frame went up, and what's left
The roof went up quickly. Here is the 2026 sequence, drawn from the Las Vegas Review-Journal's construction reporting:
| Milestone | Timing |
|---|---|
| First steel roof truss section hoisted, east-side buttress | June 1, 2026 |
| Second arch begins lifting | July 21, 2026 |
| Second arch completed | August 18, 2026 |
| Third arch completed, reaching the roughly 290-foot high point | October 7, 2026 |
| Fourth arch, first pieces installed | October 27, 2026 |
| Fourth arch scheduled to wrap | First two weeks of November |
| Fifth and final truss | Last week of November into early December |
That third arch spans about 700 feet. Each arch is built in sections and rests on temporary shoring towers until it's complete.
The schedule has held so far. A's president Marc Badain told the Review-Journal in late October:
"Right now, we've been hitting everything on the (construction) calendar."
The final truss is the one that matters most to the design. It will support the large cable-net glass wall in the outfield that frames the ballpark's main view of the Strip. Once that piece is set, sometime between Thanksgiving week and the first weeks of December, the full shape of the roof will be visible from the street for the first time.
The green towers come down next
Removal of the shoring towers was scheduled to begin in the last week of October, the same week crews started the fourth arch. The five towers under the first three arches are scheduled to be gone by Thanksgiving, and removal continues through the end of the year and into 2027. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so over the next couple of weeks the area under the oldest arches should start to open up.
What happens next is mostly hidden from outside. Once the trusses near home plate are clear, crews have to dig the lower-bowl area down to field level before they can install the seating platforms closest to the field. The platforms for the main concourse and upper deck were almost all in place by late October. The escalators are installed too, still wrapped up while the building is open to the air.
In 2027, the steel gets covered
According to the A's schedule, roof panel installation starts in the first part of 2027 and runs through the summer. Work on the cable-net window is planned to start around late March or early April. Both the roof panels and the window are expected to be finished that summer, and the building is set to be fully enclosed in August 2027.
The roof panels will be topped with decorative "dragon scale" panels. The Review-Journal's October 7 report also mentioned exterior mega-panels going on before the dragon-scale skin. The architects designed the roof as five overlapping shells. Design firm BIG says the layout is meant to cut down direct sun glare while letting natural light in through clerestory windows. BIG is the design lead, and HNTB is the sports and hospitality designer and architect of record. In a 2025 Review-Journal interview, the lead designer described the outfield glass wall as about 36,000 square feet of curtain wall, designed to bring daylight and Strip views into a climate-controlled ballpark.
A topping-out ceremony, the traditional event for setting the last major piece of structure, is planned for early 2027.
The ground level is still being decided
The roof is on schedule. The plaza in front of the ballpark isn't settled yet. Bally's leases the 35-acre site from landowner Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. and has been working to fund a multilevel podium on the northwest corner. The plan is a three-level parking garage underneath a plaza with retail, dining and entertainment space, at a projected cost of more than $200 million, the Review-Journal reported on November 4. At a Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting, GLPI said it has offered to fund the podium and the shared access way, an estimated $200 million to $250 million. That offer depends on the A's and Bally's settling a few business items between them. Bally's has picked Tutor Perini Corp. as general contractor for the podium and has filed some of the permits.
In the meantime, the A's are preparing a backup plan. A temporary plaza would sit about 38 feet below the ballpark's main entrance, with escalators and elevators carrying fans up. To have it permitted by June and built in time for Opening Day in April 2028, the team needs to commit in December. That means the last roof truss and the plaza decision are both due within the same few weeks.
The ground-level work that has already started is on the southeast corner. The A's took over responsibility for a six-story parking garage with 1,500 spaces, plus a central utility plant, about $45 million of work. Groundwork, concrete and utility work are underway, and building permits for the garage and plant were expected in late November or early December. That garage will be the next new structure on the site after the roof.
Getting there from Dean Martin Drive
If you want a closer look, the street layout south of the towers is different from a few years ago. After the I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild, the Dean Martin Drive and Tropicana Avenue intersection reopened with a raised median that blocks straight-through travel on Dean Martin. Drivers have to turn right, and Joey Bishop Drive carries north-south traffic under the Tropicana bridge, according to NDOT. KSNV reported the interchange overhaul officially finished in September 2025. Driving Dean Martin Drive toward Tropicana, plan on taking Joey Bishop Drive or turning right.
The project now carries a $2.1 billion price tag and is still on track for a 2028 opening. If the schedule holds, the last arch goes up around early December, roof panels start covering the steel in early 2027, and the open frame now on the skyline will be fully enclosed by August.
The south Strip around Panorama Towers has a lot of change scheduled for the next year. If you're curious how the ballpark and the plaza decision could shape life around Dean Martin Drive, I'm glad to talk it through and share what I'm hearing locally. Jennifer Belcastro is always happy to help. Let's Connect.
