Wrigley Field begins installing steel frame for giant new video board

Chicago Cubs fans for the first time received a clear picture of what the giant new video board at Wrigley Field will look like, and which rooftops it will block.

Rising high above Waveland Avenue, taller than a Dave Kingman home run, construction crews have begun building the steel frame that will hold the biggest new video board at Wrigley Field.

Neighbors knew it was coming, but weren't aware on how giant the board would actually be.

"Well it's huge! It's a lot bigger than I expected it to be," one woman said.

And this is just the start.

Crews told FOX 32 News that the steel beams will rise 40 feet higher in the next few days to support the nearly 4,000 square foot video display being designed by Daktronics of South Dakota.

So, how will the rooftops be affected? Based on what could be seen tuesdat, only one left field business may have part of its view blocked.

However, tv cameras will no longer be able to see the rooftop advertising that made this building worth millions of dollars.

The actual video board itself is being assembled in Chicago right now piece by piece at another location. Those pieces will be trucked to Wrigley and placed into the framework up above.

The cubs have said the new board will be ready for opening night on April 5, but people familiar with the construction schedule told FOX 32 that it could be a challenge.

With the weather warming up over the past couple weeks, the bleacher rebuild appears to be speeding up. The steel structure of the right field bleachers is finally taking shape.

The Cubs said the left field bleachers should be ready in May and right field in June.

Fans eyeballing the progress can hardly wait.

"I'm excited. It'll be like having a new ballpark. I know the changes are tough on some of the neighbors, but as a baseball fan there's things that have to be done," said Cubs fan Jim Roberts.