ATLANTA — Several high-profile failures have plagued Atlanta’s reputation on a national stage over the years: unpreparedness for ice and snow storms, a recent highway collapse and subsequent shutdown from a fire, and chronic traffic and public transportation woes.
Now, the city’s new $1.5 billion stadium — touted as a state-of-the-art facility that can help transform downtown — is facing construction setbacks with its key feature, a retractable roof that will open and close like a camera lens.
Stadium officials gave The Associated Press a recent tour for an exclusive story on Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Even though it’s behind schedule, officials and some residents hope the stadium can turn around Atlanta’s history of public misfortunes in infrastructure and projects.