Amid television cameras, news helicopters, huge excavators (hoes), haul trucks, bulldozers, graders, and water wagons, mass excavation of the new Cardinals stadium in Glendale, Arizona west of Phoenix, began promptly at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, July 30.
The process of removing 860,000 cubic yards of earth from the site located on the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) south of Glendale Avenue will take eight weeks.
Cardinal President William V. Bidwill, who visited Hunt Construction Group officials and their construction workers at the site as the “mass ex” began, reiterated his appreciation for what will be the franchise’s first home of its own.
“We are grateful to the voters of Maricopa County for making this day reality,” he offered.
Added Vice President and General Counsel Michael Bidwill, “This is a milestone day for our community.”
The mass excavation will take the field level down to 26 feel below the present grade. When comleted, the playing field will rest 39 feet below the main concourse level. Thirteen feet of berming will be added around the field.
The first 300,000 cubic yards of earth are being stockpiled immediately northwest of the stadium site to be used to build the new Maryland Avenue Loop 101 overpass. The rest will be stockpiled to use as backfill after workers begin pouring foundations—“105,000 square feet of retaining wall forming the outside of the service level” according to Hunt Corp. construction manager Charlie Prewitt—in approximately four weeks.
Michael Bidwill summarized the stadium’s progress, explaining, “The stadium is being built on 25 acres of the 165-acre site that was farm land. “People driving to work on the (Loop) 101 can watch the progress every day. There has been ongoing site work the past couple months. The project has been receiving a lot of national and international architecture attention. Just last Sunday, the New York Times featured the stadium and design architect Peter Eisenman on the cover of its “Arts & Leisure” section. This is going to be a phenomenal stadium and an economic engine for the entire Valley.”
The new 63,000-seat stadium, featuring a retractable roof and retractable natural-grass field, will open in 2006.
Cardinals Multipurpose Facility Facts
- Entire site is 165 acres.
- Stadium will occupy approximately 25 acres.
- Stadium will be home to Arizona Cardinals, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Future Super Bowls and NCAA Final Four Championships.
- 63,000 permanent seats, expandable to 73,000.
- The natural grass field is contained in a retractable, 12-million pound tray that will be 234 feet wide by 400 feet long.
- Roof will have a retractable section.
- The 152,000 square foot concrete stadium floor will have a utility grid embedded in the floor and can host various events like trade and consumer shows, conventions, concerts, motor sports, and rodeos.
- Mass excavation will take the field level down to 26 feet below the present grade. When completed, the field will lie 39 feet below the main concourse level because 13 feet of berming will be added around the stadium.
- Stadium is due to be finished by August of 2006.
Equipment for Mass Excavation
- 1 Hitachi EX-1800 tracked Excavator, used for primary excavation machine
- 3 Caterpillar 776 Off-highway Heavy Haul Trucks (belly dump), used to move dirt from excavator to stockpile
- 1 Caterpillar D9R Bulldozer, used for embankment knockdown
- 1 Caterpillar 16H Grader, used for hauling road maintenance
- 1 Caterpillar 14H Grader, used for hauling road maintenance
- 1 8-wheel water wagon, used for water support and dust control
Well....he snatched the Cards away from us because we wouldnt give him a new stadium....well I say I was glad to see the man go....but really upset he took our Cards away...
He deserves no new staduim...hell, he cant even put together a winning team....
All I have to say is...the eight years we had to wait for the Rams was well worth it....we won the super bowl!!!!
Good luck Bidwell....maybe this will motivate you to spend some money to have a team worth watching!
Of course thats just my opinion....I could be wrong. (Dennis Miller)
"You might be the toughest little whacker. . .but in my world, you're about as worrisome as a cloudy day." (Dutch Dooley)
Originally posted by mystic So Bidwell finally got his new stadium huh?
Well....he snatched the Cards away from us because we wouldnt give him a new stadium....well I say I was glad to see the man go....but really upset he took our Cards away...
He deserves no new stadium...hell, he cant even put together a winning team....
All I have to say is...the eight years we had to wait for the Rams was well worth it....we won the super bowl!!!!
Good luck Bidwell....maybe this will motivate you to spend some money to have a team worth watching!
I don't even follow that mess, it was such a fight where they were going to build.... The stadium is in a part of town that the East Valley hardly ever goes to...Gendale is not exactly a destination, it's in the poor part of town, in the flat lands .... We will see if they can get the attendance up....people were complaining about ticket prices before.
We have a fantastic retractable roof baseball park, called BOB, it is really huge, smack down town Phoenix. At least the Diamondbacks won the series ... that was pretty exciting.
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde
I don't even follow that mess, it was such a fight where they were going to build.... The stadium is in a part of town that the East Valley hardly ever goes to...Gendale is not exactly a destination, it's in the poor part of town, in the flat lands .... We will see if they can get the attendance up....people were complaining about ticket prices before.
We have a fantastic retractable roof baseball park, called BOB, it is really huge, smack down town Phoenix. At least the Diamondbacks won the series ... that was pretty exciting.
How much are ticket prices there? I certainly would complain also if I was paying for a team that couldnt compete well enough for a shot at going to the bowl....
Bidwell is an idiot...always has been, always will be.
Although I have to say that the team this year doesnt look bad....even they they blew the lead yesterday and lost to Detroit.
Lets see how good Emmitt will be for them...he's good, but always prone to injury and he is getting old....but they have Jeff Blake and I always did like him....now its just a matter if the rest of the team can play well with him....time will tell.
Of course thats just my opinion....I could be wrong. (Dennis Miller)
"You might be the toughest little whacker. . .but in my world, you're about as worrisome as a cloudy day." (Dutch Dooley)
09-05-2003 11:38 PM
