Viewpoint: Hitting our targets
This week marks three years to go until the start of the 2012 Games. It’s an appropriate time to review and celebrate all that we have already achieved on the Olympic Park but it’s also a good time to look forward to the coming year which will see the site change beyond recognition.
Last July, we publicly set out 10 milestones outlining what we wanted to achieve by this summer and I am pleased to say that we have met, and in some cases exceeded, these targets.
Now that construction has started on the Handball Arena, work is now underway on all the permanent venues. The external structure of the Olympic Stadium is now complete just 14 months after construction started.
“Now that construction has started on the Handball Arena, work is now underway on all the permanent venues.”
The roof of the Aquatics Centre is halfway to completion and it is now possible to see the Zaha Hadid’s design coming to life. Work is also progressing well on the Olympic Village, the Velodrome and the IBC/MPC.
A huge amount has been achieved on creating the utilities and infrastructure network which will be the vital backbone of the Park.
Construction is well underway on the energy centre, the electrical substation, the pumping station and sewer, the gas and electrical networks. Plus work is on track to construct over 30 new bridges, 10km of roads and permanent improvements to the transport infrastructure needed for Games and legacy.
“We are not complacent − the year ahead is a challenging one as activity on site reaches its peak.”
This week we have published the next set of milestones which we aim to meet by next summer. We are aiming to complete the structure of the Olympic Stadium, with the first seats fitted and work started on the field of play.
We also aim to have completed the Aquatic Centre’s permanent structure and roof and have dug out all three swimming pools. The Velodrome structure and roof will be complete, with work about to start on installing the timber track.
We are making strong progress and with three years to go, we are on track and within budget. But we are not complacent − the year ahead is a challenging one as activity on site reaches its peak.
- John Armitt is chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority
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