If you've ever wondered exactly what the $462 million construction budget for SunTrust Park is paying for, you might be either a conspiracy-fearing watchdog or flat-out nerd. But you're also in luck, as a budget breakdown for the massive project has emerged. For those not involved in the construction industry, the numbers may just surprise you, with nearly 20 percent of the costs going toward concrete. With around 250 workers on site each day — a paltry number compared to the 831 crew members at the Falcons' stadium — project director Chris Britton tells the AJC the work is about 20 percent complete. (Note: expect a photographic update of the project on these pages later today). And with an anticipated opening of April 2017, Britton explained, there's a lot more construction moola to be spent...
· Aside from $92 million for concrete, the structure itself will require another $43 million of steel to form the stadium and hold up the grandstands.
· While mostly hidden in the final product, electrical, plumbing and HVAC, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, is expected to swallow up more of the budget than concrete, totaling $93.4 million.
· Somewhat surprisingly, the big-ticket entertainment items — the scoreboard and other sound and audio/visual equipment — only total $24 million.
· $5.2 million is going toward seating in the stadium, which for Braves Nation's sake, we hope that they didn't skimp on.
· One of the lowest budget items included in the AJC cost breakdown was the field itself — kind of the entire reason this thing is being built in the first place — coming in at $3.2 million.
With the anticipation building, and the fly-through to keep us intrigued, let's hope SunTrust Park ends up being money well spent. Even if you've sworn to boycott it.
· SunTrust muscle and guts take up most of budget [AJC; subscriber]
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