A long-anticipated, $200-million event centre in downtown Sudbury is moving from concept to concrete.

Hoarding has been installed around the building site and several drill rigs have been brought in to begin the first major phase of work, installing hundreds of micropiles for the foundation of the new arena.

Over the next few months, as many as 500 steel pipes, each extending as deep as 57 metres below grade, will be installed to support the foundation of the three-level, 200,000-square-foot venue.

The micropiles will be drilled through layers of soil before reaching bedrock, where they will be secured and filled with high-strength grout and concrete to form the backbone of the structure.

The work is being carried out by Marathon Underground Constructors Corporation, whose crews are operating specialized mast articulation drill rigs.