Break out the virgin shovels and the pile of pre-loosened dirt.

After years of delays–which saw a host of courts rule on a litany of lawsuits–Bruce Ratner isn’t wasting any time holding a groundbreaking for Atlantic Yards. (If he saw last week’s 60 Minutes, Mr. Ratner might feel vindicated in waiting; the program had a lot of fun with all those fruitless Ground Zero groundbreakings.)

After yet another judge certified the state’s prerogative to seize land for the project yesterday, Mr. Ratner has scheduled the ceremonial event for next Thursday, reports the Daily News. On Monday, the state will create “superblocks,” forever closing the streets inside the project’s sizable footprint.

The only remaining drama: How the state will evict resistant tenants, and–even more dramatic–how they’ll remove the shackled patrons of Freddy’s Bar.

Follow Reid Pillifant via RSS.