Some deadlines have been adjusted while the contractors waited for elements such as design and funding to be complete, Rindlisbacher said. For example, design of a stage on the stadium's south end was only finished about a month ago, and plans for signage are still incomplete.

Crews have done extraordinary work to get the stadium ready to go within about 18 months, Rindlisbacher said. Last summer, temperatures on the work site reached 130 degrees, when the hot sun reflected off fresh concrete. Conversely, over the hard winter, men had to use propane torches to melt ice off the stairs.

"We're a 12-month-a-year contractor," Rindlisbacher said.

This morning, rolls of special sod several feet wide and 40 feet long will be placed on the field. In the past two months, the ground has been carefully prepared by daily watering. After today, only landscapers will be allowed on the field for 60 days.

"The stadium is just going to come alive," Fitz-Gerald said.

Season tickets for 2009 go on sale July 1. For information, visit realsaltlake.com.

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E-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com