Construction is turning two landmark Las Vegas Strip sites into very different projects in 2026. Steel is rising at the Athletics’ planned ballpark on the former Tropicana property, while Hard Rock continues its redevelopment of the former Mirage. One is a future sports venue; the other is a resort overhaul. Both put major changes to the Strip in plain view.
The ballpark is expected to open before the 2028 baseball season, according to local reporting. Hard Rock’s official Las Vegas page calls the resort “coming soon,” while the latest reported target is a 2027 opening. Those are plans, not opening-day guarantees. But the work is moving beyond renderings, and its progress is now part of the local story.
There is an important distinction: the ballpark is an Athletics project, not a casino. It is being built on land that held a major resort, next to the Strip’s busy resort corridor. The Hard Rock project, by contrast, is a direct transformation of a former casino resort. Together, the sites show how redevelopment around Las Vegas resort properties can drive news well beyond gaming.
Steel rises at the former Tropicana site
The Athletics are building their future Las Vegas ballpark on the site of the former Tropicana. The hotel-casino closed in 2024 and was demolished that October. In June 2026, crews were raising steel for the stadium bowl, a visible step in a project that had moved from plan to construction.
The Athletics’ ballpark site identifies the former Tropicana property as the venue’s location and promotes tickets for the 2028 season. In June, FOX5 reported that the stadium’s bowl steel had been installed and that the first of five roof trusses had been put in place. Team president Marc Badain said the next step was installing concrete sections for the seating bowl. Project leaders said construction remained on schedule and on budget at that time.
That is meaningful progress, but it does not mean the stadium is nearly finished. The June report described additional work ahead, including roof panels and later interior and exterior construction. The team’s public materials point to the 2028 season, and FOX5 reported the project was on track to open before that season. The schedule remains a target for a large, active construction project, not a completed result.
What the ballpark timeline tells locals
The practical milestone to watch is whether construction continues to track toward the planned 2028 opening. As stadium work advances, the project will become more visible to people traveling along the Strip. But construction activity alone does not establish specific traffic effects, road closures or game-day plans. Those details need to come from project and transportation updates as they are announced.
The site is also more than a sports story. The Tropicana was a long-standing resort landmark, and its demolition cleared the property for a new use. The ballpark will bring Major League Baseball to this location if the schedule holds, but it is not a replacement casino. That difference matters when describing what is being built and who is responsible for it.
For now, the strongest markers of progress are physical ones: steel, roof trusses and the next stages of construction. A stadium opening date is still in the future. The work on the ground is what locals can see today.
Hard Rock remakes the former Mirage
The other major Strip transformation is taking place at the former Mirage. The resort closed in July 2024 ahead of Hard Rock’s redevelopment. Hard Rock plans a new resort identity and a guitar-shaped hotel tower, making the project one of the Strip’s most recognizable construction sites.
Hard Rock’s official Las Vegas page describes the property as coming soon and invites visitors to sign up for updates, but it does not give a grand opening date. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported in August 2026 that the Guitar Tower’s exterior was nearing completion and that the project was pacing toward an opening in 2027. That timing remains a reported target. Until Hard Rock posts a firm date, “coming soon” is the company’s public-facing description.
The change reaches beyond a new name on the building. The Mirage was an operating resort; the site is now being redeveloped under a new owner. That means the news is about construction and a future resort, not a casino currently open to guests. Hard Rock’s announced guitar-shaped tower is a defining feature of the plan, but the finished property and its opening date remain ahead.
Plans, progress and what remains ahead
These two projects are at different stages. At the ballpark site, the reported milestones include stadium-bowl steel and roof-truss installation, with the 2028 baseball season as the target. At the former Mirage, Hard Rock’s resort remains in redevelopment, with local reporting pointing to 2027. Neither milestone should be mistaken for a completed venue or a guaranteed opening date.
That is why the local-news value is not just the next rendering or announcement. It is whether reported schedules hold, how the construction evolves and when the companies share concrete operating details. For travelers and workers, updates can help clarify what to expect from these prominent sites. Any specific impacts on nearby roads, businesses or workers should be tied to confirmed plans, not assumed from the size of the projects.
The Strip is famous for big reveals. In 2026, the story is the build: a former casino site rising as a ballpark, and a former resort being remade as Hard Rock. The next chapter is taking shape in steel and concrete, one milestone at a time.
