NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Construction continues on the much anticipated Music City Center in downtown Nashville.
The project, which will replace the current convention center on Lower Broadway when complete, is the largest construction project in Nashville's history.
"This is the biggest project I've ever managed," Senior Project Manager Larry Atema told Nashville's News 2. "The site changes every day with literally 500 workers here on average on a day. Everything is moving and changing."
One of the most impressive parts of the project is that Sixth Avenue actually runs underneath the building.
"It'll be four lanes wide, two through lanes, a bus and taxi drop off on [both sides] and entrances into the building for parking garages and the exhibit hall space itself," Atema explained.
The $585 million 1.2 million square-foot center is being built just south of the Bridgestone Center in an area bordered by Demonbreun Street to the north, Korean Veterans Parkway to the south, 5th Avenue to the east and 8th Avenue to the west.
When complete, the convention center will be 15 stories tall and include a ballroom able to sit 6,000 people and 60 meeting rooms of varying sizes.
In addition to the building itself, construction workers have a lot of other things to factor into the project.
"In addition to building the convention center building, there's a lot of activity going on around the site to make way for the extension of Korean Veterans Boulevard, the relocation of the NES substation, the Omni Hotel, the expansion of Country Music Hall of Fame and a massive amount of utilities and under street work that has to happen to support all that," Atema continued.
The Music City Center is still on schedule to open in 2013.
The $585 million price tag comes with a construction budget of $415 million.
Read more about the center online at NashvilleMusicCityCenter.com.
Related Stories:
- Oct. 19, 2010: Walkway will link Omni Hotel, Country Music Hall of Fame
- Oct. 19, 2010: Metro Council approves Omni Hotel financing
- Sept. 9, 2010: Construction continues on new Music City Center
- Aug. 24, 2010: Omni to build $250M convention center hotel
- March 22, 2010: Official groundbreaking held for Music City Center
- March 11, 2010: Music City Center creates construction jobs
- March 9, 2010: Blasting begins for new Music City Center
- Feb. 26, 2010: Convention center construction hits full throttle
- Feb. 8, 2010: Crews tear down first building in Music City Center's footprint
- Feb. 7, 2010: Auto shop relocates to accommodate convention center
- Feb. 4, 2010: Find alternative parking during downtown construction
- Jan. 21, 2010: Proposed Music City Center plans first conventions
- Jan. 20, 2010: Music City Center, Medical mart concerns addressed
- Jan. 20, 2010: Convention center given green light: Now what?
- Jan. 20, 2010: Convention center approval clears way for medical mart
- Jan. 19, 2010: Convention center approved, plans move forward
- Jan. 19, 2010: Council approves convention center financing package
