First Phase of Rogers Centre Renovation Projects Underway in Toronto

Work is underway on the multi-year Rogers Centre renovation in Toronto, Canada. The general contractor for the project is PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto).

Work being completed this offseason is part of a $300-million, multi-year renovation that aims to transform the 33-year-old multi-purpose stadium into a ballpark through a series of projects focused on modernizing the fan experience and building world-class player facilities.

To meet the fast-track schedule, work is being sequenced in two shifts over a six-day work week. Demolition to bring portions of the stadium back to base is already nearing completion, enabling next steps, which opens to fans on the 2023 season Blue Jays Home Opener (April 11), including:

Field level:

• Players’ family room
• 5,000-square-foot weight room
• Staff locker rooms

100 level and 200 level outfield:

• Creation of multiple new social spaces with patios, drink rails, bars and viewing platforms
• Raised bullpens surrounded by traditional and new bleacher seats, as well as social viewing areas that look into the bullpens to increase fan and player interaction
• 100-level seats brought forward to the new outfield walls to brings fans closer to the game

500 level:

• Two new social decks in right and left field
• Replacing every 500-level seat from the originals when the building opened

Rogers Centre was conceptualized as a multi-purpose stadium when it opened in 1989 and has not undergone a largescale renovation in its three-decade history. The scope of this project will address the most important challenges with the current stadium, while not rushing the necessary long-term work needed to maintain the ballpark for future generations of fans.

Fast facts:
Demolition

-The demolition began Oct. 14 with 500 level seat removal (all to be replaced for the 2023 season), followed by structural demolition of the outfield on Oct. 20
-The demolition was completed Nov. 18, culminating in 35 days of work and approximately 21,000 worker hours
-An average of about 110 workers have been onsite daily, six days per week, including about 50 workers dedicated to demolition
-2.2 million pounds of materials have been recycled from the stadium, including:

• 1.3 million pounds of concrete
• 900,000 pounds of steel and metal
• 200 ton crane was used for heavy structural removal, while small machinery was utilized to break up concrete
• PCL Construction is the club’s construction partner for the first phase of projects, to be completed before the Blue Jays Home Opener on April 11, 2023
• The outfield turf has been protected or removed in certain areas to facilitate construction, while the infield remains accessible to the Blue Jays Field Operations team to continue offseason work

500L seats

• It took approximately one month to remove the 500L seats (around 17,000) and railings (Oct. 14-Nov. 11)
• Two mobile cranes (90 ton and 50 ton) were used to bring the seats down from the 500L
• New seats will be delivered in January 2023

New build

• The size of the stadium allows for multiple projects to progress at the same time. While demolition was being completed, building began the second week of November with concrete poured in the 500L, and new structural steel installation.