Dome deflation just hours away

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Since 1984, the RCA Dome, 8 acres worth, sitting nearly 200 feet in the air, weighing an estimated 500,000 pounds has been a beacon in the Indianapolis Skyline.

In less than 24 hours the Dome part of the RCA Dome will be deflated.

"There are essentially 20 fans in the entire complex. Four are designated for keeping the roof up itself, typically three run," said Project Manager Tom Scheele.

But on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. all the fans and the backup generators will be shut off. 

"In the control room, they have gauges to monitor the height of the roof and how fast it's going to come down. So we're going to control the decent as much as possible," said Scheele.

It will take an estimated 30 to 40 minutes for it to fall, landing about 50 feet above the surface of the stadium. The Dome may appear fluffy, but it is one tough piece of fabric. 

"It's quite stiff. It's a double coated Teflon type of fabric," said Scheele

Once the Dome comes down there is still plenty of work to do. Lights and cables will be removed and piles of seats that couldn't be sold are being torn out and recycled. The rubber bits and sand that once were on top of the Colts field have been given to the Indiana state police for their horse corral. 

"We're salvaging out about 80% of everything inside the Dome by volume, so it doesn't go to a landfill," said Scheele.

It's expected the roof will be completely gone within a week or two and some may be recycled.

24-Hour News 8 will have a countdown to deflation on WISH-TV Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. It will also be a live streamed on WISHTV.com, just look for the link on the home page.

Report by David Barras, WISH. Edited by Hyacinth Williams.