MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Tours Globe Life Field Construction Site in Arlington
By Office of Communication
Posted on November 19, 2019, November 19, 2019

The team’s new home, now approximately 85 percent complete, hit an important construction milestone this week with the installation of the final piece of structural steel. The Rangers showed off some of the progress on Tuesday with a tour of Home Plate club seats, Home Plate Club and First Base Club and updates on the field, which includes the installation of the foul poles. 

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who toured the Globe Life Field construction site on Tuesday, said he plans to be at the new retractable-roof ballpark in Arlington next March for the Rangers’ Opening Day.

The team’s new home, now approximately 85 percent complete, hit an important construction milestone this week with the installation of the final piece of structural steel. The Rangers showed off some of the progress on Tuesday with a tour of Home Plate club seats, Home Plate Club and First Base Club and updates on the field, which includes the installation of the foul poles.

“The ballpark looks absolutely amazing. I think this is going to be yet another step forward for the industry in terms of the standard for ballpark construction,” Manfred said. “The advantages for the fans here in Arlington and the Dallas Metroplex are so obvious. The ability to have a covered stadium and to be open when the weather permits is a great thing.”

Construction Status

Roof Work:

• Steel Construction to merge the 5.5-acre retractable roof structure together was completed yesterday. Construction workers participated in the Topping Out ceremony by signing the final steel piece prior to installation. The final steel piece was installed on the retractable roof on the west side of the site.

• The entire retractable roof structure will be moved into its fully open position later this week.

• Decking and roofing work over the retractable roof structure is 60 percent complete.

• The total steel weight of the entire operable roof structure is approximately 9,600 tons.

• Installation of ETFE panels is 70 percent complete on the east side of the ballpark.

• The roof will use a total of 19,000 tons of steel. Roof construction started in late fall 2018, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.

Concrete work:

• Lower bowl precast was completed last week.

• Dugout and field wall concrete work is ongoing.

• Poured on-site concrete is complete in all areas with the exception of the service level.

Internal Work:

• Epoxy floor update has started on lower concourse and main concourse.

• Construction on the interior brick arches, located on the north concourse, is 95 percent complete.

• Work on interior finishes is ongoing throughout the building. Carpet installation is in progress on the lower concourse and office building.

• Cabinets have been installed on the Founders Suite Level and Legacy Suite Level. Cabinetry work for both the classic suites, office building, and service level is ongoing.

• Carpentry and tile work is ongoing on the exterior suite areas.

• Concession and restroom tile work on all levels, including the upper concourse level, is ongoing.

• Concession work, including bar fronts, and installation of kitchen equipment, is ongoing on all levels.

• Countertops and overhead doors are in the process of installation throughout the concession areas.

• Drywall is 92 percent complete in the ballpark. Drywall on the club and concession areas is currently in progress.

• Installation of retractable glass on the lower suites is 95 percent complete.

External Work:

• The southwest entry structure is complete. Work is progressing on sidewalks for the southwest entrance. Construction of the northeast and southeast entries was completed earlier this year.

• Granite and Lueders stone work is ongoing on both the interior and exterior columns of the ballpark.

• Glass installation on the north side of the ballpark is 70 percent complete. Glass is complete on the south, east, and west portion of the ballpark.

• Hardscape is in progress on the exterior of the building, including construction of the fire lanes, retaining walls, concrete curbs, and gutters. Asphalt has been laid for the east parking lot directly adjacent to Globe Life Field.

Miscellaneous:

• The bases for the foul poles were installed last week. Foul pole construction is expected to be completed by end of the week.

• The panels for the centerfield video board have been installed. The centerfield video board will serve as the out of town scoreboard. The video board panels for the centerfield video board are from Globe Life Park and were unassembled and moved into the new Globe Life Field in October.

• The steel frame for the main video board, located in right field, has been completed. The main video board is 42 ft. x 120 ft., 72 percent larger than the main board at Globe Life Park.

• The first seats were installed at Globe Life Field in late October. Seat installation began in the main concourse seating bowl. Seat installation is expected to be completed in early February, 2020.

• Preliminary air conditioning function has been established in limited areas of the ballpark, including the service level, lower concourse and office building.

• Telecommunication data rooms are nearing completion throughout the building.

• Broadcast booth areas, and broadcast cabling, is ongoing throughout the project.

• Installation is ongoing on all levels for restroom fixtures, including toilets and sinks.

• Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical work is ongoing.

• 13 escalators have been installed on-site. Eight elevators have been installed, and six are currently in progress. There will be a total of 24 elevators at Globe Life Field.

• The four-story office building, located on the southeast side of the site, is 90 percent complete.

Structural Steel:

• Bowl steel was completed in mid-February, using a total of 16,000 tons of steel to construct. The final piece was installed on the upper concourse area of centerfield, the northeastern portion of the site.

• The bowl steel construction started in June of 2018, taking nine months to complete.

Facts and Figures:

• Over four million man hours have been completed on the Globe Life Field project to date. An estimated one-million man hours of work is left until the project is complete.

• HKS is the design architect for the project and Manhattan Construction Company is the Construction Manager.

• Approximately 1,400 workers are on-site daily.

• The official groundbreaking for Globe Life Field took place on September 28, 2017 with construction beginning the following week.

• The new 1.8 million square foot ballpark is located on 13 acres just south of the current Globe Life Park in Arlington.

• Seating capacity is approximately 40,300 for Globe Life Field.

• The new ballpark is scheduled to open in March of 2020. The Rangers will play the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition game on March 23, 2020.

The regular season home opener is scheduled on March 31, 2020 against the Los Angeles Angels.

Texas Rangers, Ballpark Project
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