Milestone reached in construction of £500m Everton FC stadium as contractors install new 100-tonne section. Tony McDonough reports
Workers on the new £500m Everton FC stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock have reached a new milestone with the installation of a new section of the arena.
On Wednesday it was revealed that one of the giant trusses that will support the roof structure of the arena has been successfully installed. The 100-tonne section was carefully hoisted into place in the north stand at the Liverpool Waters site.
This is the beginning of a series of lifts over the coming weeks at both ends of the stadium. These will offer a first view of its full height of just under 45 metres.
In total, the stadium will have five roof trusses installed. There will be two in the smaller north stand and three atop the one-tier south stand that will eventually house 13,000 Everton fans in the 52,888-capacity stadium.
Each truss, which initially rests on temporary support trestles built into the stand, comprises three sections assembled at ground level. They will be lifted into place individually. Each of those 15 steelwork sections weighs approximately 100 tonnes.
The completed roof trusses will have clear spans of between 150 and 175 metres, once the temporary support trestles are removed. The depth of the trusses varies between four metres deep at the supports, to around 11.5m at mid-span.
Due for completion in time for the 2024/25 Premier League season, the work on the project is being overseen by main contractor Laing O’Rourke. In October it was revealed almost 150 new jobs have been created with 67% of the workforce on the scheme being drawn from north Liverpool.
Video: Everton stadium is finished – virtually
Starting in summer 2021, it is recognised as the largest single-site private sector development in the country. It will contribute an estimated £1.3bn to the UK economy, creating thousands of jobs and attracting 1.4m visitors to the city of Liverpool every year.
Further employment opportunities are being made available through the supply chain partners, whose products and services will aid the construction of the new stadium. Laing O’Rourke has also partnered with leading training providers. They include The Learning Foundry and The Skills Centre.