Raiders’ Las Vegas Stadium Opening Could Be Delayed Due to Issues With Roof Installation
By Will Coleman
Just when everyone thought the Raiders had finally played their last game in Oakland, the franchise's Las Vegas stadium operation has been met with a hiccup.
Allegiant Stadium was tentatively scheduled to open in July 2020 in time for its first event the following month, but a delay in installing the venue's translucent roof could cause other setbacks to follow.
#BREAKING: Sources in Vegas: Allegiant Stadium's first-of-its-kind cable net roof may have serious design flaw preventing it from being lifted and tightened.
— Rich Lieberman (@rich415Media) January 7, 2020
One insider says the $2B project's engineers are scrambling to come up with a fix before public becomes aware. #Raiders
If any storms pass through the area before the roof is constructed, the stadium would be vulnerable to water damage that would further delay its entire construction process. The roof's installation has now been targeted for May.
Like other new, modern stadiums around North America that continue to defy physics, roadblocks in Allegiant Stadium's completion shouldn't come as a surprise.
A possible construction delay for the #Raiders' $2 billion (taxpayer funded) stadium in Las Vegas due to problems with a translucent roof is the perfect encapsulation of professional sports decadence run amok in the 21st century. https://t.co/9zJ1ZYiwQx
— Matt Schubert (@MattDSchubert) January 14, 2020
With the Raiders set to host a pair of preseason games in August, Allegiant Stadium is on a strict timetable. Mark Davis and Co. want to make sure their relocation goes off without delay, and considering the already negative press that came with leaving Oakland in the first place, any sort of significant delay in construction isn't welcome.