This look, shown from the southeast corner of the stadium, gives a good idea of what the drainage asphalt looks like all the way around the field.
It’s been almost two weeks since our last look at the progress at Memorial Stadium, where construction crews are working to remove the track and lay down asphalt and turf in its place.
Not a ton has changed in terms of the aesthetic of the stadium, but the drainage asphalt has been put down around the perimeter and that allows you to see a clearly defined area where the turf soon will be.
Not as dramatic as the last look, but still interesting nonetheless. The project, which began June 25, is slated to take 6 weeks and should be done in time for the beginning of fall football camp, which opens Aug. 8.
For now, there’s still a construction-grade chain link fence around the south end of the stadium so no sign of the new decorative fence that will replace it. But I’m guessing that will be one of the final steps in the project.
Here’s a few angles of what’s new….
Here's a look at the west sideline, where you can clearly see the area that will soon receive the new turf.
**View from the southeast corner of Memorial Stadium:**
**View of the West sideline:**
**Elevated view of the entire stadium:**
**View through the fence behind the south end zone:**
(This one is particularly cool because a good chunk of the asphalt you see used to be track)
A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.
