Best Project, Sports/Entertainment: Rogers Centre Renovation Phase 2

Phase two of the Rodgers Centre stadium renovation saw the infield and related seating demolished and rebuilt in months.
Photo courtesy Toronto Blue Jays
The renovation of the home of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays had a firm six months to finish, with no extra innings. The first phase of the Rodgers Centre upgrade had updated the ballpark’s outfield and outer seating areas, but phase two tackled the infield and near seating—an effort nearly double in project scope.
Demolition and renovation schedules left little room for error, but upfront planning ensured that multiple crews worked around each other without delays. The entire infield was demolished along with adjacent seating, locker rooms and the players’ clubhouse.
Photo courtesy Toronto Blue Jays
Crews worked 24/7 during the first two months of the schedule, and structural demolition of the lower bowl of the infield was completed in only 13 days. All demolition, excavation and foundation work finished in just 49 days. Work on the project began in October 2023 and was complete by May 2024, before the start of the Blue Jays’ season this year.
Extensive use of 3D mapping let the team make sure the field was up to league standards while proactive planning of equipment staging ensured that a forest of cranes and a swarm of excavators and dump trucks had maximum usage. Two cranes were used for steel and two for precast concrete, working in concert to perform well over 600 lifts during the course of the project.
Photo courtesy Toronto Blue Jays
To maintain access to the work area during demolition and crane lifts, the team constructed a temporary Bailey Bridge from the loading dock to the infield bowl, allowing dump trucks direct access to remove spill. Demolition work also included complete removal of the stadium’s old track system that had allowed for the seating stands to split and rotate to accommodate other sporting events such as games for the Canadian Football League.
The renovation is more than a refresh for the stadium—bringing not only improved seating and sightlines for spectators, but also a new clubhouse as well as updated locker rooms and related facilities.

Jeff Rubenstone is Deputy Editor for News and Technology at the Engineering News-Record. As news director of ENR he oversees the publication’s news coverage, and also covers emerging technologies and innovations in the construction space. With well over a decade of experience reporting on the industry, Jeff has a broad background in engineering and construction journalism. He is based in New York City.

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