The $550 million project to expand the United States Tennis Association’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will reach a major milestone in a few weeks.
The USTA announced a topping ceremony for the new $100 million retractable roof on the 24,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium is set for June 10.
Despite weathering a brutal winter, construction on the roof has been moving according to schedule and the final steel beam with be installed on the roof’s skeleton during the ceremony.
The roof construction will halt shortly thereafter as the staff prepares for this year’s U.S. Open, which will begin on August 31.
The retractable roof is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2016 U.S. Open.
Last year, the USTA completed the first phase of the expansion plan, which included new courts 4, 5 and 6, and two-story viewing bleachers that created a three-court stadium viewing experience for fans. The elevated seating area holds more than 1,300 fans, and Court 5 became the U.S. Open’s seventh television court.
The USTA also recently started construction on its new Grandstand Stadium, which will have 8,000 seats, and replace the current 6,000-seat court of the same name that is connected to the Louis Armstrong Stadium. That new Grandstand Stadium will debut in time for the 2016 U.S. Open along with expanded walkways in the south area of the center.
The smaller courts on the south portion of the campus will also be rebuilt next year.
Following the 2016 U.S. Open, the USTA will tear down and build a new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium. That stadium is expected to be ready for the 2018 U.S. Open.
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