Despite recent weather conditions that have put construction on hold, LSU’s outdoor track and field facility is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Bernie Moore Track Stadium received its first all-weather surface in 1969. Current construction is the third major renovation the track has undergone since 1987.
Students parking near the track have seen renovations bloom since July of last year, and according to Senior Associate Athletic Director Eddie Nunez, construction on the track is 95 percent complete.
In the initial plans, renovations were set to be complete by the end of January, but construction is now set to be finished in mid-February.
“The last two things that we have to do are weather dependent,” Nunez said.
The weather has held up construction on the finishing touches of the facility. The throwing area and the striping on the track are the only things left to complete.
“We’ll get it done before the conclusion of the indoor track season so the athletes will have an opportunity to train,” Nunez said.
To observers, the throwing area is the obvious missing link to the facility’s completion. The area the field athletes use to throw javelins, shot put and hammers has been transformed into a mud pit by the showers Baton Rouge saw early in the week.
“The throwing area has been held up recently by the rainy conditions,” Nunez said. “We still have to grade it out and level it out to get it to the correct height. After we do that we can lay down the sod.”
The striping on the track will be the last renovation. As with the throwing area, construction is being held up by winter weather. The temperature needs to be high enough outside for the striping to properly adhere to the track.
The largest part of the project was the resurfacing of the track. LSU runners will now compete on a Mondo track surface, which is the same surface Olympians compete on.
The last nine summer Olympic games have been held on a Mondo surface. According to the Mondo website, 230 world records have been set on Mondo surfaces, including five at the 2008 summer games.
 
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]