The canvas that covers the entire lower tier of the Castellana side, the one that coincides with the camera shot of the television broadcast, has its days numbered. Those in charge of executing the work of Santiago Bernabu They are already studying the possibility of starting the reconstruction of that side stand to increase the capacity and that the appearance of the stadium on the day of PSG, on March 9, will be much better, as well as increasing the ability to intimidate the rival team.
Right now, there are three areas of the stand that are unusable due to the works: the lower stand on the south end, the one on the west side and the one on the corner of the east side with the north end. The latter is already being lifted and the canvas will disappear in the next few days.
The final decision to raise the Castellana stands, as Javier Caireta has also told, will be made in the next few days, but Everything indicates that having the OK of the engineers, architects and workers, who have been working in that area for the last year to start up the grass removal system. Under that tier goes the greenhouse cave and the rail system that will allow the grass planks to be moved. The stands also have to be cantilevered, since some planks have to be hidden underneath and some of the tracks on which the whole mechanism has to circulate have to find shelter. It is not just any grandstand.
It seems more complicated to start the South Fund stand, since the bulldozers and the cranes continue to roam freely on the days that there are no matches. It is a strategic area for the good progress of the works, so before PSG it does not seem that all the capacity will be available.
This is how the new and ‘multipurpose’ Bernabu will be: tennis, basketball, NFL, eSports…
200 lines of action simultaneously
The Santiago Bernabu he continues to fume so that his works finish as soon as possible, although there is still a lot of work ahead. Right now there are simultaneously up to 280 lines of action between the roof, the retractable grass mechanism, the stands, the façade, the accesses, the VIP boxes, the car park… More than 800 operators working daily in a work that is taking shape and in which many obvious advances can already be seen, but which still has a long way to go.
Nevertheless, the Bernabu advances at a good pace and some areas are beginning to be more or less adapted to current needs. Parking is advancing at a very good pace and it is not ruled out that in the coming months, players will be able to access the stadium through its new entrance and park in the bowels of the stadium. Small advances that speak of the good development of the works. That the stands can be ready for PSG is another clear example that Bernabu is advancing.
The end of the works, in the first half of 2023
The end of the works of the Santiago Bernabu is approaching, but it is not as close as could be anticipated or is being said at first. The inauguration will not take place in 2022, but will have to wait for the first half of next year. The most optimistic calculations speak of January or February 2023, but project sources assure that it is probable that the new stadium will not be completely finished until June of next year. There are many ambitious projects, such as the 25,000 square meters of new VIP areas that have barely started.
Nor should we forget that the work includes an urban planning plan around the stadium, with the pedestrianization of the surroundings, the creation of squares, green areas… There is still a lot of work to be done on a stadium that is going to become a reference to world class for design, functionality, technology… and location.
