Glass panels weighing over a ton each being installed on Space Needle

SEATTLE -- Forty-eight glass panels weighing more than a ton each are being hauled up the length of the Space Needle, where they will replace the outer cage on the observation deck to create  a floor-to-ceiling glass viewing experience.

It's another step in the structure's multiyear face-lift that began last summer.

The Space Needle's elevators were too small for the glass panels, so a crane had to be used to haul the panels 520 feet up in the air.

The renovation work on the Space Needle is expected to be completed by May.