US Open centre court Arthur Ashe Stadium ready for new retractable roof
Wednesday 10 June 2015 23:18, UK
A final steel beam has been put into place over Arthur Ashe Stadium as the US Open's centre court moved closer to being covered by a retractable roof, which will be ready in 2016.
Now that the superstructure supporting it is up, workers can begin the process of removing the three massive cranes on the grounds on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to get ready for the final Grand Slam event of the year which begins on August 31.
This is the second straight year an enormous construction project at the tennis center will be broken down in the months leading up to the tournament.
US Tennis Association CEO Gordon Smith says he's confident the center will be ready to go.
"It's been an unbelievable adventure to do something that we never thought that we'd be able to do and that is to have a solution for a roof over the largest tennis stadium in the world.
"The excitement of today is palpable. It is probably the most significant improvement we've made to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center since its construction."
