In this June 2, 2016, file photo, cranes work on the structural support of one of four spires that will be 200 feet above the roof surface and 357 feet from the ground at the Miami Dolphins' NFL football stadium.Alan Diaz/The Associated Press
The Miami Dolphins say their $500-million (U.S.) stadium renovation will be completed as scheduled and in time for the team's final exhibition game on Sept. 1.
Work continues 24 hours a day on upgrades that include a canopy. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said Friday the stadium will be ready for the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans. There is no backup plan.
The Miami Hurricanes will open their season at the stadium as scheduled on Sept. 3 against Florida A&M, the Dolphins said.
The Dolphins' 2015 and 2016 seasons left an eight-month window for the renovation, which normally would have taken about 12 months, Ross said.
"I've been on a phone call every day at 4:30 since January and really pushing it," said Ross, a real estate billionaire. "I think what we've done is probably unprecedented. I've built over $20-billion worth of projects, and this is the most complex, basically because you're putting such a large structure in place in such a short period of time, and there's no way you can be late. There's no alternative."
He is paying for the project and has already been rewarded – the NFL voted to play the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami.