How long did it take for the East Upper to be built? Is it going to be possible to tear down the West Upper and rebuild an Upper Deck without having a decreased capacity for at least a season? There would be approx 9 months to do the work,Dec thru end of Aug or maybe even start in mid Nov if we play at Ark that year.
I can't see any way for it to possibly be done in 9 months. The east side took 625 days from start to finish and they didn't have to tear anything down beforehand. Maybe it can be done with only 1 season of reduced capacity.
also a problem I see would be the reduced parking capacity due to the machinary and space needed for the destruction and construction. I think it would be a good idea to get the new baseball stadium and parking garage built before work on the deck begins. I haven't been to any of the Master Plan presentation that they have every so often to see if they have it mapped out in what order projects will be taken.
They won't demolish the foundations and ramps structure. They will keep that and just replace the pressbox and upper deck. This is what they are counting on to keep the job down to 9 months. I also hear that they are removing the escalator which is supposedly a maintenance nightmare, and adding 8 or ten elevators.
Very interesting, I wasn't aware of a plan to just replace the seating area and the pressbox. I was thinking they would need to demolish it and build from the ground up. It will take some crafty engineering but I am sure it can be done. Maybe some of our Civil Enginers and Construction Managment majors on campus can come up with something.
When the east upper was built, it took about a year and a half. During football season, construction was being done on the outside of the stadium that did not impact the inside. Remember the big cranes and girders going up behind the east side? Then after football season they immediately started working on the inside.
I don't think they are actually going to tear down any part of the West Upper. I think it is more of a facelift or contour adjustment. Shouldn't be any down time what so ever. I could be wrong. Except for building a damn press box on the top of that ridiculously high thing. How'd you like to watch a game from a pressbox up there. Look like an army of ants.
That is if there is enough demand for seats. If we do not consistently sell out at 95,000 there will be no demand to expand to 110,000.
I've seen the plans and the company I work with will be fabricating the new deck. Word is it will most likely be done in sections during the offseason as not to interfere with seating capacity or parking during football season.
