This video is of the truss being put in place on Thursday, and includes commentary as well and some very impressive aerial skyline shots. This truss weighs about 250,000 pounds – or a little more than 12 school buses at 20,000 pounds each.
Progress is moving quickly on the yet-to-be-officially-named complex, with about half the structural steel in place.
130 pieces of precast concrete have been placed, with another 760-plus to go. 27,000 cubic yards of foundation concrete have been poured, with another 46,000 cubic yards ahead, and 70 of 96 foundation piers have been drilled for the buildings that will form the arena along Woodward Avenue and Henry Street.
Olympia says there are $1 billion in projects planned for the 50 block area around the arena that they’re calling “The District Detroit.” This will include offices, residential, retail, green spaces and garages.
The roof is targeted to be complete in the fall, with the arena ready for the 2017-2018 hockey season. There will be slightly more seats (20,189 planned) at the new complex than the old Joe Louis Arena.