MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The new Minnesota Twins ballpark is past the halfway point when it comes to the money being put into the project.

As of December, more than $263 million had been spent on the roughly $520 million open-air ballpark going up in downtown Minneapolis. It’ll be known as Target Field.

This is a big year for construction on the stadium. Minnesota Ballpark Authority executive director Dan Kenney said he expects the ballpark to look mostly done from the outside by the end of 2009.

The contract with the stadium’s main builder calls for the ballpark to be substantially complete by March 3, 2010 or 30 days before the Twins are supposed to host their first game there.

Construction began in the summer of 2007. The ballpark is being paid for with private money and a special Hennepin County sales tax.

Today's top stories

New Bridges Part of Iowa's $114M Madison Avenue Project

Eagle Bridge Co. Works On Final Leg of U.S. 35 Upgrade

Fay Preps Way for Pittsburgh International Airport Modernization Project

SAKAI Achieves Record Sales, Production

Takeuchi Recognizes Top Dealers at 2024 Dealer Summit

Going Beyond Diversity: Star Equipment's Rental Advantage

Volvo CE Launches Updated L30, L35 Compact Wheel Loaders

Muddy Water Dredging Christens Marlin Class Dredge