Construction work at the new Green Point Stadium is continuing on schedule, with the first construction milestone soon to be reached, and projections that the stadium will be completed by mid December 2009, six months ahead of FIFA 2010 World Cup from 11 June to 11 July.

As the stadium starts to take shape and gives an indication of how it will alter the Green Point skyline, the first significant highlight in the construction of the R2.85-billion stadium will be the completion of the first of the three storeys of seating, which is expected to be reached in April.

The first tier of seating will comprise 25 000 of the stadium’s planned 68 000 seats. Construction of the next phase of seating, the upper tier, will start later in the year. The third tier will have seating for the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches to be played there, but these will be removed after the tournament to make way for commercial space.

The completion of the first tier of seating is a “significant milestone in the construction of the stadium”, says Dave Hugo, the City of Cape Town’s director 2010: technical.

Construction has been progressing on schedule, and the formal FIFA inspection date is October 2009.

This comes after months of six-day weeks to get construction of the stadium on schedule, following delays due to a short strike, and also meant that the 2000 construction workers on site could take time off over the festive season.

However, the City anticipates that the project could run over budget due to inflation and increased building material costs, even though these were factored in to the R2.85-billion budget for the stadium.

According to Mayoral Committee member for Finance, Ian Neilson, the City is in negotiations with the National Treasury and contractors regarding cost cutting, as the City will not be able to contribute more than the R500-million already allocated to the project.

The tender for the roof has been awarded, and R100-million has been cut from the anticipated cost of the roof.

The tender for the naming rights for the stadium has been advertised, and local and international bidders are expected to submit bids, which could bring in funding for the stadium project.