There is a lot of dirt, debris, concrete slabs and pipes laying around inside, but even with all of that clutter, it's finally starting to look like a ballpark five months before it opens.
The infield dirt is in place and portions of the 38,000 seats are bolted down. The four-month seating project should be completed by December.
"The goal for this winter is to have all the masonry work done," said Steve Greenberg, the Pirates vice president of new ballpark development and communications. "We're really on target to do that with the interior work to do over the winter."
Since the first day of construction of PNC Park, the Pirates have responded to rumors that the project would not be complete in time. WTAE-TV's Sheldon Ingram reports that more rumors are surfacing -- this time from contractors who don't want to be identified. Ingram said that they say that the project could be as many as one to two months behind schedule.
"There's been some resequencing of the project so different parts of the project have moved ahead of others," Greenberg said. "So maybe there were some parts of the project that slipped a week, but, overall, the critical paths of this projects are on time.
"The ballpark will be ready and operating on March 30. We're ready. We know it will be."
The first strips of grass will be installed at ballpark on
Monday. Luke Yoder, the Pirates' manager of field maintenance, said that
grass is what will make the facility a park.
On Sunday, the strips of sod will be harvested at the Magic Carpet Turf farm in Berrien Springs, Mich.
Each strip will be about 3/4-inch thick, with
grass just less than two inches high.
Officials said that it will take about three days to cover the
ballfield.
Take a look at the new stadium through the
PNC Park Web Cam.
Want to see the Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers new home? Ellen Gamble recently took us on a tour.
Click here.
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