The San Francisco 49ers will soon be relocating from Candlestick Park in San Francisco to nearby Santa Clara, once the new stadium is finished, and so far the construction project is right on track. According to local news network KTVU, officials expect the $1.2 billion stadium to be finished in time for the 2014 NFL season.
With such a tight deadline, roughly 400 iron workers, plumbers, electricians and masons have been working double shifts six days a week, the San Jose Business Journal reports. Initially, workers were on site around the clock, but since progress has been made at an impressive clip, they've been able to relax the schedule a bit. Construction crews are currently installing 18,000 tons of steel to create the framework for the stadium, which will hold upwards of 68,500 fans upon completion. The interior area of the stadium is filled with materials and construction equipment, including four massive 338-foot cranes.
"The project's going extremely well," project executive Jack Hill explained on Santa Clara Stadium's blog. "We've also had great cooperation from the sports authority, the city and all the entities involved. The structural steel is somewhere between a third and a half complete. We're up on the fifth level, headed to the sixth of nine levels. Here shortly, we'll be at the 50 percent mark of steel construction."
Once the 1.9 million-square-foot stadium is finished, there will be 165 luxury suites, 9,000 club seats and 40,000 parking spaces. KTVU indicates the Santa Clara location will feature double the number of women's restrooms as there are at Candlestick Park. Jed York, the CEO and president of the 49ers, told the news source he hopes to be able to put in a bid for the 50th Super Bowl.
