Along what was a quiet stretch of Montgomery Street west of downtown Fort Worth, several cranes tower into the air as about 700 workers are racing to build Dickies Arena.
It's on track to open in November 2019.
The 14,000-seat arena will compete with the American Airlines Center in Dallas for concerts, tournaments and other events.
But Dickies Arena General Manager Matt Homan plays down any rivalry.
"American Airlines Center is such a great fabulous facility, which is great for Dallas,” Homan said. “But we believe we're the Fort Worth market. And that extends west of (Highway) 360, out to Weatherford, up to Denton, even south down to Waco."
The arena expects to bring in 800,000 thousand people a year to 140 events, including the stock show rodeo and the NCAA basketball finals.
They also plan on hosting everything from concerts to high school graduations.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I can't wait until it opens,” Homan said.
The arena will cost $540 million and is being built under a public-private partnership. The city of Fort Worth’s contribution is capped at $225 million.
The venue will be owned by the city but run by a non-profit group.
Fort Worth businessman and philanthropist Ed Bass organized the project.
