Construction work on a new retractable roof at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main venue for the US Open, is nearing completion ahead of the start of the tennis grand slam next month.
The three-year project has cost an estimated $100m (€90m). The roof will cover a 250ft by 250ft opening at the venue, which is part of the National Tennis Center stadium complex. The roof will take five to 10 minutes to close.
“We put up over 6,000 tonnes of steel over the last two-and-a-half years,” National Tennis Center chief operating officer Daniel Zausner told the CBS New York channel.
“We’re just putting the finishing touches on it over the next 45 days and we’ll be ready for the fans to arrive come the end of August.”
The US Open joins fellow grand slams – the Australian Open and Wimbledon – in having main venues with retractable roofs.
In previous years, the tournament’s schedule has been severely disrupted by rain delays, even causing the competition to run into a third week.
The 2016 US Open will take place from August 29 to September 11.
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