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Crowds gather in the parking lot at MetLife Stadium before WrestleMania in April. A security fence is being built around the stadium for next month's Super Bowl.

(Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)

EAST RUTHERFORD — The area around MetLife Stadium will soon become almost unrecognizable — not that most people will be able to get close enough to take a peek.

As part of the facility's conversion for next month's Super Bowl — a Level 1 National Security event as designated by the the Department of Homeland Security — a chain-link fence will be constructed around the stadium.

The 2 1/2 miles of fence will be anywhere from six to eight feet high, according to a report on NYPost.com. One-hundred thirty metal detectors installed at seven entrance points will try to ensure none of the 77,000 or so ticketholders sneak contraband inside.

The fence will sit at least 300 feet from the stadium to allow ample room for the many broadcast facilities that will be set up in what is normally prime parking space.

The protected area will also include the Izod Center, part of the Meadowlands Racetrack as well as the arena parking garage and an adjacent walkway, the Post reported. Super Bowl-related parties and other events will take place inside the Izod Center and the racetrack.

That part of the Meadowlands makeover, which involves about 10,000 workers, began Thursday.

Besides the work outside, an auxiliary press box is being built in one end zone. The field will be cleaned, heated and then kept covered.

Super Bowl signage and team logos won't be taken care of until the week of the game.

As reported last month, no one will be permitted to walk to the game, even if they're staying at one of the hotels close to the stadium. Ticketholders must either secure a $150 parking permit, take a New Jersey Transit train or pay to take a $51 bus ride from designated departure points.

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