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KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- After about three months of foundation work, A.T. Still University's new dental school is now headed skyward.

This week in Kirksville, crews started putting up the steel beams that form the frame of the two-story, 61,000 square foot building.

Michael McManis, ATSU vice president for planning, assessment and institutional effectiveness, said it will take approximately two weeks to put up all the steel.

Then, crews will move on to pouring the concrete floors and enclosing the building so interior construction can continue through the winter.

Even before the steel arrived, workers were keeping very busy.

"We've been digging foundations and support areas and putting those in the ground of course to support the steel. The steel arrived on Monday, and we've been hard at it ever since," said McManis.

McManis said crews are approximately 10 days behind schedule because the steel took longer to fabricate than expected.

He said the contractor plans to put in extra hours and maybe work a Saturday or two to catch up, but he's not worried.

The new nearly $17 million dental school is scheduled to be completed by April 30, 2013 with the first 40 students set to start classes in mid-July.