

Get out your ticker tape, kids, 'cause we're gonna need a parade, stat. The project that owner Billy Corey says is destined to become Atlanta's version of the Statue of Liberty, St. Louis Arch or Space Needle is finally happening. The 300-foot smokestack with a giant LED billboard stuck to the side was initially supposed to be blinding drivers on the Connector by the end of last year but that failed to happen. The date was pushed back to January 1, 2014, then when last we checked in, pushed again to "we won't know until trucks are on the road hauling to Atlanta" territory. Just when it looked like the project might languish forever in the Purgatory Of Incomplete Atlanta Projects, trucks packed with giant shrink-wrapped LED pieces rolled in from Salt Lake City, where a Utah company responsible for several iconic Times Square and Las Vegas Strip billboards created the pieces for Atlanta's most glorious landmark. Crews started working earlier today and the 80-foot tall, 25-foot wide signage is being assembled as we speak.

It looks pretty much like a white cylinder with a black rectangle pasted to the side. But wait until it lights up!

Construction and assembly will take one to three weeks, depending on weather, according to Corey vice president Diane McIver. She said the company hasn't done any renderings or sketches, so no true previews are available.

— Additional reporting, photography by Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep

· Will Digital Smokestack Be ATL's Greatest Landmark? [Curbed Atlanta]

· Digital Smokestack Renders? Pretty Please? Maybe? No? [Curbed Atlanta]

· First Phase Complete On 'Atlanta's St. Louis Arch' [Curbed Atlanta]

· Big-Time Connector Billboard Running Behind Schedule [Curbed Atlanta]

[All photos: Curbed Atlanta except where specified.]