The clock is ticking on the opening of the brand new, shiny, billion dollar home of the Minnesota Vikings, and today one big milestone is taking place.

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That's right, Tuesday marks the day when crews begin installing the artificial turf at the new stadium. And that turf is just a wee bit more advanced than the old green carpet used to be at the Metrodome. (Remember how high those baseballs used to bounce off that bright green carpet that was in the 'Dome when it first opened?!?)

According to MPR, this turf is actually state-of-the-art compared to that old carpet. Plus, the Vikings logos in the end zone and on the 50 yard line will be permanently inlaid into the turf, though they can be removed, if needed. That's way different from the 'Dome's old turf, too, where crews had to constantly paint the logos of either the Vikings or the Gophers before each game. (And, players won't get that purple and white paint all over their uniforms when they're tackled on the logos now, too.)

The Vikings also sprung for a fancy covering for the turf, too, to be put down over the field for other events the venue will hold, like that Luke Bryan concert on August 19th.

The story says the turf will be similar to the playing surfaces that have been installed at other new stadiums. "It's made by UBU Sports, which has installed turf in 11 NFL facilities, including the Superdome in New Orleans and Met Life Stadium in New Jersey," the story noted.

Stadium and team officials said the field installation process is expected to take about a month to complete. You can check the progress crews are making on the new stadium's webcam HERE.

And here's a video tour of what the stadium looks like as crews put the final touches on the billion dollar facility...

 

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