Construction on the Carrier Dome's new roof is almost finished. There are no longer cranes outside. The deadline is next week and there’s still a big hole in the middle, so it’s crunch time.

What You Need To Know

  • Construction on the new roof is scheduled to finish by September 18

  • The fabric roof is incomplete and there is no turf inside

  • SU football hosts Georgia Tech on September 26

“It’s challenging, let’s just put it that way," said Pete Sala, the chief facilities officer at Syracuse University. "So if you were to ask me my stress level right now, it’s probably never been worse right.”

Sala is overseeing the Dome construction. 95 percent of the new lighting is up and running, Sala said, and after decades, the building named after an air conditioning company will have AC.

“We get beat up real bad about it," said Sala. "You know it’s going to be nice. It’s nice. I know the changes we’ve made to the locker room complex and in the private suites are going to be a huge improvement to the experience.”

All that is nice, but Sala is focused on the incomplete fabric roof. He says the final weeks of any project are the most critical.

“It’s exciting," said Sala. "Things are starting to come together. The last push is always the biggest push. It’s going to be challenging. The fabric contractor needs to get about three big panels up a day.”

Construction is contracted to end on September 18. Because of the coronavirus, the first game is a week later, so the timeline has some unexpected wiggle room.

Whenever fans are allowed inside, there will be noticeable changes.

“One of today’s discussions was coming up with a solution to tie all the doors open, to pin the doors open, right," said Sala. "I haven’t had that conversation in 40 years, so that’s going to be a huge change for people to be able to come right up and walk right in.”

Even if fans don’t get in for a game, Sala says the university is planning to use the Dome as a socially distanced study space for students.