A roofTexas sized and pricedwas a must before the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo would move from the Astrodome to a planned venue "next door." The rodeo would not budge on a ceiling to avoid concert rainouts and to rig 89 tons of audio and video equipment. But football's fledgling Houston Texans were just as stubborn about an open-air venue with a grass field.
It became an open-and-shut case. For growing grass and football, a high roof over the field of the 1.9-million-sq-ft Reliant Stadium would part like the Red Sea, each half gliding along rails on opposite-sideline "supertrusses" to dock over end zones. A portable field over a concrete floor could be moved to make way for the rodeo dirt during February's three-week run.