Olympic Stadium Ahead of Schedule
Athletics: Construction of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium in Stratford is due to start three months early
Construction of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium in Stratford is due to start three months early. The Olympic Delivery Authority will today confirm plans to begin building the 85,000-seat arena at the end of May.
Work to clean and excavate the site has gone better than expected and the bowl of the stadium is now visible. The £496m plan sits the track and field arena nine meters below ground level, and 600,000 tonnes of soil have been removed. Some 6,500 cubic meters of concrete will be recycled from other parts of the site and crushed to form a platform to support construction works. Completion is due in July 2011.
The ODA is close to agreeing a final contract for the aquatics centre. Confirmation of a £214m deal to build the Zaha Hadid-designed venue, originally estimated at £75m, is expected next week despite a late attempt by the contractor Balfour-Beatty to secure a multi-million pound increase. The government is understood to have rebuffed it.
The ODA chairman, John Armitt, said: "Now that we have finished the work to dig the bowl where the opening and closing ceremony and athletics will take place in 2012, we are firmly on track to start construction work ahead of schedule."
Work to clean and excavate the site has gone better than expected and the bowl of the stadium is now visible. The £496m plan sits the track and field arena nine meters below ground level, and 600,000 tonnes of soil have been removed. Some 6,500 cubic meters of concrete will be recycled from other parts of the site and crushed to form a platform to support construction works. Completion is due in July 2011.
The ODA is close to agreeing a final contract for the aquatics centre. Confirmation of a £214m deal to build the Zaha Hadid-designed venue, originally estimated at £75m, is expected next week despite a late attempt by the contractor Balfour-Beatty to secure a multi-million pound increase. The government is understood to have rebuffed it.
The ODA chairman, John Armitt, said: "Now that we have finished the work to dig the bowl where the opening and closing ceremony and athletics will take place in 2012, we are firmly on track to start construction work ahead of schedule."
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