Edmonton, Alberta-based PCL won the second phase of the $220 million Rogers Centre multi-year renovation project, the home of baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Work began in October and will continue through April 2024, the contractor announced on Nov. 21.
As part of the renovations, the contractor will overhaul the 100 level seating bowl and structure from foul pole to foul pole, with seats oriented towards the infield.
Rogers Centre, originally conceived as a multi-purpose stadium, opened in 1989. The complex has never undergone a large scale renovation, per the release. Once complete, the seating bowl will have new sections, improved sight lines with less obstruction and wider seats with more legroom, armrests and cup holders.
The stadium will also feature three new clubs: the Batting Tunnel Club, located behind the third base side of home plate; the Home Plate Club, located directly behind the plate; and The Lounge, located behind home plate on the first base side.
So far, PCL has performed structural demolition of the lower bowl, which took place on Oct. 13-26, per the release. The contractor removed and recycled 29.5 million pounds of materials, including 26.5 million pounds of concrete and 3 million pounds of steel.
PCL has also completed field level excavation, which took place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, to create below-ground space for new player facilities and the premium clubs. The contractor removed 780 truckloads of material from the ballpark, and brought in 530 loads. Work has been fast tracked, so builders began formwork and poured the first new concrete the same day demolition was completed, on Oct. 26. Crews erected the first steel column on Nov. 13.
“Following the complex, fast-track renovation completed in just six months for the 2023 season, the second phase of the project will deliver an even greater volume of work in the same time frame, as the 100 level seating bowl is demolished and rebuilt to bring Blue Jays fans an experience designed specifically for baseball,” said Monique Buckberger the vice president and district manager at PCL’s Toronto office.
PCL also worked on the stadium’s first phase of renovations for the stadium, which it substantially completed on March 31. The park debuted to the public on April 11, the franchise’s 2023 home opener.
