The A's Strip Ballpark Reaches Its Highest Point as the Third Roof Arch Is Finished

by Ryan Rose

What Happened at the Ballpark This Week

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the news on Oct. 7. Reporter Mick Akers wrote that crews set the final piece of the third roof truss arch that day. That last piece weighed about 500,000 pounds. Once it was in, the arch was complete. It is the tallest point of the whole stadium.

The numbers are big. The arch is about 700 feet long. It rises about 290 feet above the playing field. News 3 Las Vegas (KSNV) put that height in baseball terms. It is about the same as 105 baseball bats stacked end to end. The A's say that when the roof is done, it will be the tallest roof truss structure in Major League Baseball.

Each arch is not one solid piece of steel. According to News 3, this truss is built from five steel sections. Crews join those sections to form one long arch. That arch is one of five overlapping arches that will span the roof. Think of five curved steel ribs, set side by side, each one holding up part of the roof.

A's president Marc Badain gave a schedule update to the Review-Journal. He said construction is in month 17 and on schedule. He said all five roof trusses will be finished over the next few months. A topping-out ceremony is planned for early next year. Seat installation is also set to start next year. The Review-Journal reported the stadium will have about 30,000 seats.

The team shared the news too. In an Oct. 8 post, the A's said crews completed the third and tallest steel truss arch at the future ballpark. News 3 reported the team still expects the stadium to be done in time for the 2028 MLB season.

News 3 also ran a longer look at the site the same week. Reporter Steve Wolford wrote that the project is about halfway finished. Groundbreaking was in June 2025. The goal is to finish ahead of opening day in spring 2028. Officials told News 3 the work is on schedule.

Here are the key facts in one place:

Milestone: Third roof truss arch finished on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. It is the tallest point of the stadium.
Height: About 290 feet above the playing field.
Length: About 700 feet, built from five steel sections.
Final piece: About 500,000 pounds, per the Review-Journal.
Cost: About $2.1 billion, per the Review-Journal.
Seats: About 30,000.
Schedule: Month 17 of construction, on schedule, with a 2028 opening target.
Still to come: Two more roof arches, a topping-out ceremony early next year, and seat installation starting next year.

The Athletics ballpark construction site on the former Tropicana land, with cranes, steel towers and Las Vegas Strip resort towers in the background

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Start with the skyline. At about 290 feet, this arch is now the high point of the building. It is easy to see from I-15, from Tropicana Avenue, and from Las Vegas Boulevard. If you drive the south end of the Strip, you have probably noticed the steel getting taller each month. This is the piece that gives the stadium its final shape.

Next is the schedule. A big project that slips can drag a lot of other things with it. Road work, nearby building plans, and hiring all line up around the opening date. When the team says it is in month 17 and on schedule, that is a useful signal. It means the 2028 target is still the date to plan around. As always with a build this size, treat any date as a target, not a promise, until the doors open.

Then there are the jobs. The FOX5 Las Vegas report from June said about 650 craft workers were on site at that time. Badain told FOX5 the crew would more than double once roof panels go up and the outside and inside work begins. A project leader told News 3 that many workers on the job had also built Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena. Those are local paychecks. Steady construction work helps families pay rent, make house payments, and save for a home.

Traffic is the part most locals feel. The site sits at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, one of the busiest corners in the valley. A roughly 30,000-seat venue will bring a new pattern of game-day crowds once it opens. If you commute through that area or live nearby, it helps to know the timeline now. That way you can watch for road and parking plans as they come up for public review.

There is also the bigger picture for the local economy. UNLV sports economics professor Bill Robinson told News 3 the ballpark will be the smallest stadium in Major League Baseball, and that this was on purpose so it fills up. He also said the venue has about half the seats of Allegiant Stadium and about double the capacity of T-Mobile Arena and the Sphere. That size could let it host events year-round that are too small for Allegiant and too big for T-Mobile or the Sphere. More events on more nights can mean steadier work for the people who staff them.

Background and History

The ballpark sits on the land where the Tropicana hotel stood. The Tropicana came down in October 2024. Crews broke ground on the stadium in June 2025. Since then, the build has moved in clear steps. First the bowl, then the seating sections, and now the roof.

The roof work began in early June 2026. That is when crews lifted the first 200-ton arch truss segment into place, according to Thornton Tomasetti, the structural engineer on the project. FOX5 reported that this first truss took about six months of planning. The second arch went up in August. The third and tallest is now done. Two more arches remain.

Why do these arches get so much attention? A roof truss is a large steel frame made of many smaller beams joined in triangles. Triangles are strong and hard to bend, which lets a truss cover a long distance without columns in the middle. That is what a ballpark needs. Fans want a clear view of the whole field, so the roof has to reach from one side of the stadium to the other with nothing in the way. Every roof panel that comes later will hang from these arches.

The design team matters here because the roof is unusual. Thornton Tomasetti says the stadium was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and HNTB. A Mortenson-McCarthy joint venture is managing construction. The roof is made of five overlapping curved surfaces styled after baseball pennants. Those surfaces rest on freestanding steel arch trusses that span nearly 700 feet across the field.

The outfield side of the building is also special. Thornton Tomasetti calls it one of the world's largest cable-net glass facades. It is a huge glass wall held up by tensioned steel cables. The idea is that fans inside can see the Strip while the building stays cool. In a city where summer days often top 100 degrees, a covered ballpark is a must for summer games.

One number has moved a bit over time. Earlier reports, including the Thornton Tomasetti update, described a 33,000-seat ballpark. The Review-Journal and News 3 now describe about 30,000 seats. The cost figure has also been reported as both $2 billion and $2.1 billion. We are using the Review-Journal figures in this article. If you see slightly different numbers elsewhere, that is why.

Close view of the curved steel roof trusses at the Athletics ballpark, with a red crane and Las Vegas Strip towers visible beyond the structure

What Happens Next

The next step is simple to describe and hard to do. Crews need to finish the last two roof arches. Badain told the Review-Journal that all five trusses will be complete over the next few months. Once the steel is done, the roof panels can go on. That is also when FOX5 reported the workforce is expected to grow.

After that comes the topping-out ceremony, planned for early next year. A topping out is a construction tradition. It marks the moment the highest piece of the structure is in place. For this project, it will be a good public sign that the main frame is done. The exact date has not been announced [NOT VERIFIED].

Seat installation is set to start next year too, per the Review-Journal. After seats come the long inside jobs that most people never see. That includes concourses, kitchens, restrooms, elevators, clubhouses, and all the wiring and air conditioning. These months are less dramatic than a 500,000-pound steel lift, but they decide whether the building opens on time.

The team is already selling the inside. A team staffer, Kelsey Bannister, told News 3 that a premium club space behind home plate has sold out. That space includes the first six rows behind home plate. Until the stadium opens, the A's continue to play home games in Sacramento, according to FOX5.

Locals should also keep an eye on the land around the ballpark. Clark County has already approved plans for parking, retail, and a theater on the land around the site. We covered that in Clark County Approves Parking, Retail, and a 2,500-Seat Theater on 26 Acres Around the A's Ballpark. More filings near the site are likely as opening day gets closer.

Ryan's Take

The main thing this milestone tells me is that the schedule is holding. Month 17, the tallest arch done, and the team still pointing at 2028. Big projects usually show their problems during the steel phase. So far, this one has not. That is good news for anyone who owns, rents, or plans to buy on the south and east side of the Strip, because it makes the future easier to plan around.

I would keep expectations simple, though. A ballpark is one building in a very large valley. It does not set home prices on its own. Most of what drives value in Las Vegas is still mortgage rates, jobs, and how many homes are for sale. What a project like this does is add steady jobs, more events, and more reasons for people to want to live and work here. That kind of support tends to show up slowly. If you are thinking about buying or selling in Paradise, Enterprise, or the southwest valley, the ballpark is worth knowing about. It just should not be the only reason you make a move.

The more practical point is about timing. If you own near the Strip corridor and plan to sell in the next few years, it helps to know your numbers now, before the opening and before the traffic changes. If you are buying, ask about the commute on a game night, not just on a quiet Tuesday. Those two questions are simple, and they save people from surprises later.

Wide view under the Athletics ballpark roof arches looking toward Las Vegas Strip high-rises and mountains on the horizon

What You Can Do

If you want to see it in person, the site is easy to view from public roads around Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. The arches are much more striking in person than in photos. Please do not stop on the freeway or block traffic to take pictures. Use a public garage or sidewalk instead.

If you commute past the site, give yourself a little extra time on the south end of the Strip. Construction traffic, crane work, and nearby road projects can bring short lane changes. Check the Nevada Department of Transportation and Clark County traffic alerts before you head out.

If you want a closer look at the plans, the A's run a Ballpark Experience Center at the Uncommons, across from the Durango hotel in the southwest valley. News 3 reported it is open by appointment only, and appointments are booked through the team's website. The team's website also posts construction progress updates.

If you live or own property near the stadium, watch the Clark County Commission and Planning Commission agendas. Requests for parking, traffic changes, and nearby buildings go through those meetings. Agendas are posted ahead of time on the Clark County website, and public comment is open. It is worth checking those agendas every few weeks, since filings near the site tend to come in waves. If you rent nearby, it is smart to read your lease renewal terms closely over the next year or two. And if you own a home in the area, a current home value check gives you a clear baseline before the building opens.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.