When the Atlanta Falcons' new $1.5 billion home opens with an exhibition game Saturday night, the most expensive and most discussed feature of Mercedes-Benz Stadium will remain closed.

The retractable roof isn’t ready to retract, forcing games to be played with it in the closed position until mechanization is completed. Falcons and stadium officials don’t know exactly when they’ll be able to open the roof for a game, but they say it’ll be sometime this fall.

"I don't get upset, to be honest with you, over two or three months delay," Falcons owner Arthur Blank said. "The roof works. It just doesn't open and close in 12 minutes yet, but it does open and close.

About the Author

Featured

In 2022, Georgia Power projected its winter peak electricity demand would grow by about 400 megawatts by 2031. Since then, Georgia has experienced a boom of data centers, which require a large load of electricty to run, and Georgia Power's recent forecast shows peak demand growing by 20 times the 400-megawatt estimate from just three years ago. (Illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC)

Credit: Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC