ATLANTA — We're just 24 days away from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. The championship game will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 3.
Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee Operations Vice President Amy Patterson met with Channel 2's Aaron Diamant outside the stadium, where the build-out for the big game is well underway.
“We’re excited. Certainly some anxiety, but the excitement is in it, as well,” Patterson said. “We’ve spent the last two years planning for this, and now we’re actually seeing it come to fruition.”
News Chopper 2 flew over Georgia World Congress Center's International Plaza and captured the massive tents that will serve as the secured game day entry points.
“That’s where people will check into, go through the magnetometers, have their bag checked, so just the sheer magnitude of the size of those tents is pretty impressive," Patterson said.
From the ground, Diamant saw crews hustling to finish up the tent and set up the cellphone towers, big banners and signs.
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“It’s game time. We’re ready for a football game," Assistant Chief Scott Kreher, with the Atlanta Police Department, said. “We’re actually moving away from our planning stages and actually moving into our operational stages.”
During Super Bowl week, the entire Congress Center campus will be inside a secured perimeter with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected each day of the 10-day event.
The APD's joint operations center will serve as the public safety war room with dozens of federal, state and local agencies involved.
“We’re confident in our plan. We’ve practiced it. We’re ready to play it, but we’re confident that Atlanta is ready for this event and we look forward to the world’s eyes being on us," Patterson said.
There's just 16 days until the APD and its federal and state partners go operational.
Kreher told Channel 2 Action News the federal security coordinator has assured him the government shutdown will not impact the security plan.