500-mln-dollar revamp of Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to start in February

The 500 million-dollar revamp of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center begins in February, and will continue on and off while the site plays host to the US Open, according to reports.

According to the New York Daily News, the first phase involves the installation of piles to help support a new retractable roof above Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

The retractable roof has been described as an umbrella that can open and close over the stadium, the report said.

The expansion plan also includes moving the 6,000-seat grandstand to another portion of the complex and adding 2,000 seats, a change that forces seven tennis courts to be shifted southward, the report added.

 

The City Council approved the project, which removes nearly an acre of parkland, after the USTA donated 10 million dollars for improvements to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the report further said.