New timeline for Astrodome construction

An exterior undated photo of the Astrodome. (KPRC2)

HOUSTON – There's a new timeline for construction work at the Astrodome.

Harris County commissioners approved a $105 million plan to reinvent the Dome.

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The original plan had construction starting in October, but it was announced recently that work will not start until early 2019.

The Harris County engineering department said the construction is slated to begin after the Houston Rodeo. Construction is expected to take about 17 months.

The county currently is in the third and final round of asbestos abatement.

The plan is to raise the Astrodome's floor to create an underground parking garage and nine acres of open space, which is expected to be used for conferences, festivals and commercial space.

PHOTOS: Astrodome through the years

When it opened in 1965, the Harris County Domed Stadium was the first of its kind, and was dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

The stadium hosted the Astros from 1965 to 1999 and the Oilers from 1968 to 1996. It was condemned in 2009.