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It’s a game changer!
After years of delay, Arthur Ashe Stadium will finally score a retractable roof to keep US Open tennis fans dry as soon as 2016.
The $100-million-plus roof (artist’s drawing above) — which will be nearly four times the size of Wimbeldon’s — is part of a bigger $550 million project planned at the National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The plans also include two new stadiums with thousands more seats and a viewing plaza for practice courts.
The polygon-shaped paneled roof will open and close in about five minutes and feature a lightweight design with Teflon coating over eight steel beams.
“It truly takes my breath away — it’s going to be hugely popular,” said Daniel Zausner, chief operating officer of the National Tennis Center.
The roof has been in the works since 2009, but was stalled due to structural challenges tied to the stadium site, which is built on landfill.
But designers have since remedied the problem with a new, lighter-weight design, architects said.
“We had to figure out how to get 5,000 tons of steel on land that’s basically mush — [but] the design is really ingenious,” said architect Matt Rossetti of Rossetti Architects.
The project includes 15,000- and 8,000-seat stadiums scheduled to open by August 2018.
Officials said the roof will remain open unless it’s rainy.
“We want this to be known as an outdoor tournament,” said US Tennis Association executive director Gordon Smith. “We’re only going to close it if it’s going to rain or is raining. There will be rules and procedures put in place.”
Officials said the project will not affect ticket prices.
“This is great. It’s great for the US Open. It’s great for the city of New York,” Smith said.