Hampden Park is undergoing a makeover ahead of Glasgow 2014
Work to build an athletics track at Hampden Park ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has begun.
Last Updated: 03/12/13 12:31pm
The hallowed turf - home of the Scotland football team - is being torn up before the level is raised in order to increase the surface area and accommodate a running track around the pitch.
Ian McKenzie, Glasgow 2014 Head of Development told Sky Sports: "This is the first step in building a platform which is going to be 1.9m above the level at the moment. That's so we have an area big enough to take an international standard athletics track to host the Commonwealth Games.
"The first step is to remove the turf and then we will start building the platform on top of that. We'll have to clear the whole area of turf. Then, eight rows of seats will be taken out.
"It's the first time this will have been done for a full track anywhere in the world. We'll use steel posts to create the platform and on top of that deck, we will build the athletics track. It'll be built like any other - a stone base, some sand, asphalt and then the specialist track surface on top of that.
"Hampden will be ready in May next year - in plenty of time before the game to do lots of testing and check that everything is right. Once the athletes arrive in the village, they'll be able to come here and train.
"Another important part is to build a warm-up track next door, which is ideal because there's a tunnel that takes you straight there."
