Construction continues on the new West Upper Deck of Tiger Stadium and could last through football season.
The July 29 deadline for major construction will be met, according to Operation and Project Development Director Eddie Nunez, but small projects will continue through the 2006 football season. The stadium is currently 90 percent complete with the only concern weighing on contractors minds is the resurfacing of Tiger Stadium Parking Lot. “The majority of the glass is in,” Nunez said. “Basically what we are doing right now is finishing up the touch-up paint and carpet we knew would come in last so that it would not be tracked up. We didn’t want to have to go back in and change it. The parking lot is coming along as scheduled, but we just found out that administration would like for the greenery to be in for the first game.” Rain has turned into an issue for construction workers as they continue to put up the glass wall that faces Nicholson Drive. Afternoon showers have made it difficult for crane operators to work and has slowed down construction inside the upper deck lobby. Teak wood that will line north and south walls has just begun to be installed because rooms had to be sealed before the teak wood could go in. Some items will not be installed until August, like carpet and furniture. Nunez says there will be a few projects that will not be completed when football season starts, such as touch-ups and items that need to be changed. The new upper deck features 3,000 Stadium Club seats that are divided into three levels with a new press box constructed under the main deck. The $60 million renovation offers more seating than the now retired upper deck, elevating maximum capacity to more than 92,000. Much of the Tiger Stadium Parking Lot is still unfinished, but should be completed before LSU’s Sept. 2 football game against UL-Lafayette. Cement is poured in the mornings before afternoon showers, which allows progress to continue. Walkways to and around the parking lot will begin soon, where cement will be much more detailed. A platform where a huge bronzed bengal tiger will face Nicholson Drive has also just begun construction, with the bronzed statue scheduled to arrive in late August. “Everything is going as we expected,” Nunez said. “We expected there to be rain and we planned ahead so we would still be on schedule. Nothing has happened out of the ordinary. The only concern we have would be another storm of last year’s magnitude.” Also in construction is a new surface street that will connect South Stadium Drive and North Stadium Drive called West Stadium Drive. The new street will run directly in front of Tiger Stadium in the old parking lot and will be closed to thru traffic on gamedays.
—–Contact Brennan David at [email protected]