Before today's photos and the report from BCB's David Sameshima, you should read this Sun-Times report that says the entire Wrigley project could take more time:
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts revealed Wednesday that the Wrigley Field restoration project will take an extra year to complete.The first of four scheduled offseason phases began in the fall of 2014 and the project was expected to be completed during the offseason between the 2017 and 2018 baseball seasons.On Wednesday, though, Ricketts said the organization is projecting the $375 million renovation to take longer than originally expected."There will be four more years," Ricketts said Wednesday after speaking at a City Club of Chicago luncheon. "The way we project it now is four more years of construction."
Originally, the project was supposed to take five offseasons. But when threatened legal action from the rooftops pushed back the start of the project by a year, the team had stated they were going to try to squeeze the five-year project into four offseasons. Clearly, that was a mistake, as seen by the issues they have had this past winter -- not all of them attributable to winter weather. Extending the project by another year should allow the Cubs to get the project done comfortably each winter instead of having to worry about whether the ballpark would open on time.
Now, here's David's report. He saw more preparations for Opening Night on his Thursday visit, as well as construction activity:
I arrived at 3:45 p.m. It was 41 degrees (+30 wind chill). The music was on at Wrigley, just like a game day. I saw a lot of ballpark operations staff around Wrigley and also Levy Restaurants employees were at work. Gate D was busy with trucks and forklifts pulling up to unload supplies. I also noticed that they were testing the monitors in the upper deck. They're seriously getting ready to open the ballpark.They put up the bleacher structure in the far right field corner where the right-field patio used to be. There was still a gap in right field with no girders up yet. Of course this would be section 315, where I sit. Now there is just one open gap in the bleacher structure.They were still busy at work in the jumbotron structure. I did take a photograph to show the planks now in place on the bleacher patio/walkway level in left field. They have started to put up fences in front of the VIP/Players parking tent, in the Blue Lot. I wasn't able to take any good photos at Gate K/J of the third base concourse as there was equipment in the way. I also wasn't able to take any photos of the triangle lot at the fence. The street sweeping truck was making regular trips down Waveland Avenue, kicking up a a small dust storm.
Also, remember when I said there was no access to the center-field TV camera shed? There is now -- they had to build a set of temporary stairs, because the other way to get there had been demolished (photo 12).
Finally, David took a photo of the walkway that now exists under the left-field bleachers -- you can see this is not concrete (photo 33).
David will be visiting later today so we'll have more photos here tomorrow.