The last of 36 steel masts to support B.C. Place Stadium’s new retractable roof may not be installed until Jan. 9, according to B.C. Pavilion Corporation.
As of Tuesday, 33 of the 120-tonne, 50-metre masts had been erected.
"There were indeed some windy days that we could not erect," said PavCo CEO Warren Buckley. "However with Christmas break for the construction workers, (contractor) Structal has decided to go with Jan. 9 with no loss in schedule overall."
During a Nov. 5 tour of the stadium, PavCo chairman Podmore told QMI he expected all masts and compression beams to be lifted into place by the end of 2010. Minutes of PavCo’s August 2010 construction committee meeting, obtained via Freedom of Information, said the “schedule is on track for substantial completion November 1, 2011”.
Dates for the first B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps’ games at B.C. Place have not been announced. The only confirmed events are the Nov. 25 Vanier Cup and Nov. 27 Grey Cup.
"We are doing very well, with construction proceeding on schedule and very satisfactorily," Podmore said. "We still expect an early fall completion, subject only to weather delays."
Wednesday is the fourth anniversary of the spectacular, snow-caused rip-and-collapse of the original 1982-inflated roof. The Jan. 5, 2007 incident prompted Premier Gordon Campbell to announce in May 2008 a new retractable system would be built after the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The stadium's renovation budget was originally $365 million when it was disclosed in January 2009. It was increased to $563 million in October 2009.
bob.mackin@sunmedia.ca
