Contractor VolkerFitzpatrick is set to complete 48 new steps leading to Wembley Stadium in London, in time for June’s Euro 2021 competition.
The Olympic Steps, which are 40m wide, replace the 1970s pedway that used bridge open-air coach parks that no longer exist. The pedway was too steep for wheelchair users or people with mobility problems.
Developer Quintain said the new steps provided better access for older and disabled people, with the introduction of four new lifts from ground level to the Wembley Stadium concourse. Each lift can take three wheelchairs.
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Meanwhile Olympic Way (known by football fans as ‘Wembley Way’) has been widened by 50%, programmable lighting has been introduced, ceremonial banners added and an avenue of 48 new trees from around the world has been planted.
The re-landscaped Olympic Way includes new shops, bars and restaurants.
Pictured James Saunders, CEO of Quintain with workers on the Olympic Steps.
Chris Winter / Quintain
The Olympic Steps are the final addition to Quintain’s major upgrade of Olympic Way and will deliver over 12,000 sqm of new public space.
The steps take their name from the London 1948 Summer Olympics, which were held at the Empire Stadium and Empire Pool, which is now The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Julian Tollast, head of masterplanning and design at Quintain, said: “The development of the Olympic Steps is a significant milestone in the transformation of Wembley Park. The old, outdated pedway represented the area’s stark, ‘70s concrete past. Now, the new Olympic Steps will serve the community in ways that were not previously possible; the space will provide a location for everyone to sit, relax, and socialise, all whilst soaking in the atmosphere of the iconic destination.”
Construction will be completed by 10 June 2021. Armac was the demolition contractor and the architect was Dixon Jones.
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