Early signs of a finished product are taking shape at the Polar Park construction site in Worcester, with crews preparing for upcoming project milestones.
The under-construction Polar Park is the future home of the Worcester Red Sox (Class AAA; International League), the franchise that will play its final season as the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2020 before relocating to the Massachusetts city. With the planned opening of the facility thirteen months away, the ballpark is coming in on schedule, as progress is evident at the construction site.
During a tour on Tuesday, project officials pointed to some key areas of the ballpark that are taking shape, while noting some of the major components of construction that will begin soon. The biggest milestone coming in the near future is the start of steel construction, set to begin in a couple of weeks. More from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette:
Construction crews have cut into that hill and removed 180,000 cubic feet of soil, creating a bowl where the ballpark is being built.
Outside concrete walls and foundations for the ballpark’s seating area have been erected, and in a couple of weeks the project will reach an important milestone – steel construction will begin.
Neil Benner, onsite project executive for the joint venture of Gilbane-AECOM Hunt, said Tuesday the steel construction for Polar Project is on track to start on March 16.
“That will be a big milestone for the project,” he told a group of local media and city officials on a tour of the Polar Park site Tuesday. “That is when we will be going more vertical with the structure.”
Polar Park is being built as part of a larger redevelopment of the surrounding Kelley Square/Canal District. New development is slated to include an office building behind the ballpark’s left field wall, two hotels and residential buildings, and a mixed-use building that will feature retail, office, and lab space. When the facility does open, it will be the International League’s first new facility since the debut of BB&T Ballpark for the Charlotte Knights in 2014.
Rendering courtesy City of Worcester.
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