At 300-feet-tall, the Orlando Eye isn't done growing.
 
"Once the inner-circle is complete, we'll start on the outer circle,” says James Paulding, the head of openings for Merlin Entertainments.
 
The new icon of International Drive may look like it's close to completion. Yet, in early November, the next 100-feet of steel will rise.  
 
"We'll start going up to the 400 feet mark, which is where you see the capsules on here,” James says.
 
The same folks behind LEGOLAND Florida are also building the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and a SeaLife Aquarium. The complex will anchor the new I-Drive 360 complex near the corner of Sand Lake Road and International Drive.
 
"There will be a series of team members here who will welcome you on,” James explains during a hardhat tour inside the massive welcome center at the base of the Eye.
 
Construction crews in the welcome are working late, assembling studs and hanging drywall in the pre-show area, where passengers will first view a 3-D film that will provide history on Central Florida’s past.
 
"It's a 3-D film with 4-D effects and that is being shot locally and that showcases more of central Florida,” James teases.
 
After exiting the theater, visitors will board one for the Ferris wheel's 30 gondolas.
 
"The Eye rotates in a clockwise direction, so the capsules will moving past one of the 30. So this is where people will board and start their journey up,” James points outside like a proud father.
 
The operators booth overlooks the boarding platform, where cameras in each of the 30 capsules will keep an eye on riders.
 
"Right about here, there will be a control panel, it will look a bit like a big church organ,” James explains while standing in the control booth from the second story.
 
The passengers capsules assembled in Europe are currently floating across the Atlantic. A dozen supports like these will carry a load of three million pounds.
 
Unlike the London Eye with it's nearly invisible center, the Orlando model is built to withstand our weather.
 
The massive supports at the base of the Eye were designed by Intamin of Switzerland to be a little flexible in case Central Florida were to experience another hurricane.

"You can't hug them. They are absolutely enormous!” James says.
 
This enormous structure may be open next spring. Already, Merlin Entertainments is looking for what James calls “passionate” employees.
 
"There's been a few of us working on this project for a very, very long time,” he says. “At the moment, we are busy recruiting. We want to get a team of passionate people that want to help us bring this to life and deliver it to the people of Orlando."
 
Click here to peruse the job listings thus far at the Orlando Eye.

Click here to read more in-depth coverage of the Orlando Eye and new attactions.