Planned Sky Bridge Seats Expected To Be MSG's Hottest Ticket

MSG Plans To Build Two Sky Bridges Five Stories Above The Playing Floor

The "hottest ticket at the revamped Madison Square Garden" will be part of "two sky bridges that will be built five stories above the playing floor," according to Jeremy Olshan of the N.Y. POST. Up to a "thousand fans will get to sit in premium nosebleed seats on the two sky bridges." The area, which is part of the $850M renovation of MSG, is "set to be completed for the 2013-14 season." MSG CEO Hank Ratner: "This is our signature element. It will be a unique experience in sports and entertainment." Ratner said that "rather than merely renovate the Garden, the project, funded without a dime in taxpayer subsidies, calls for building an entirely new arena in the shell of the 1968 building." Ratner: "This gives us the best of both worlds. We keep what's iconic -- the exterior and the famous ceiling -- and create a whole new building." Olshan notes construction "will start in earnest on June 14 and go through several phases over the next four years." The first phase, to be completed for the '11-12 season, will include the "addition of 20 'event-level' suites." The following year, 58 "lower-level suites" will be added. The revamped arena also will "turn the somewhat claustrophobic lower concourse into a wide thoroughfare with city views, shopping and a slew of high-end dining options." The concourse, set to be completed for the '13-14 season, "will pay homage to the Garden's history, with tributes to Knick and Ranger championships to such landmark events as the Ali-Frazier fight" (N.Y. POST, 5/24).