Implosion of Falcons' Georgia Dome planned for Nov. 20

ATLANTA — With construction of the Atlanta Falcons' new Mercedes-Benz Stadium moving closer to completion, the implosion of the Georgia Dome has been set for Nov. 20.

Steve Cannon, chief executive officer of Falcons owner Arthur Blank's AMB Group, says there have been "a few exciting milestones on the roof over the last week" for the new stadium. That clears the path for plans to demolish the Georgia Dome, which stands beside the new stadium.

The Falcons had put a hold on decommissioning the Georgia Dome until there were no doubts the new facility would be ready for the 2017 season. The first event in the new facility, which also will be home to MLS Atlanta United, will be a Falcons preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 26.