At the end of November, work crews began dismantling the roof of the Olympic Stadium in preparation for installing a new one. Over the past few months, the fabric and metal structures atop the stadium have been removed.

A complex and carefully planned operation

Project engineer Nadir Guenfoud reports that 20% of the work has been completed. Once reserved for sports stars, the field of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium is now occupied by eight large cranes. The largest of these extends beyond the stands and the ring that previously supported the roof, reaching areas where some steel cables from the old structure still hang. The slow process of disconnecting these cables will conclude by year’s end, Guenfoud noted. At that point, the last remnants of the roof, in place since 1998 and the stadium’s second iteration, will be removed.

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The work, involving both the roof and the stadium tower, is intricate but has been meticulously planned. This project has been in the works for a long time and planned in great detail. Decisions were made during the project to ensure the reliability of the new roof. We opted for a rigid cover that is more solid and durable, Guenfoud explained. Relaxing the steel cables supporting the old roof, suspended from the stadium tower, is a delicate process; an incorrect movement could cause the cables to hit the tower. To manage this, a device was installed to monitor the tension in each cable as they were gradually disconnected.

© Guy Plante

On schedule and at a massive cost

Guenfoud described the operation as dismantling rather than demolition. So far, about 22 kilometers of steel cables have been removed, amounting to 1,332 tons of metal. The project employs over 300 workers, with about 100 present on-site daily. To date, the replacement of the stadium's deteriorating roof—whose history is fraught with delays and budget overruns—has stayed on schedule and within the planned cost of $870 million. We know we cannot afford a third failure, Guenfoud emphasized.

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What comes next?

The next phase of the project, planned for 2025, will involve dismantling the concrete technical ring surrounding the stadium's opening. This structure houses ventilation systems, including heating, air conditioning, and lighting. It will be replaced by a steel structure six times lighter and compliant with current building codes. In the third phase, spanning 2026 and then lifted into place for final installation, allowing the stadium to reopen in 2028.

The provincial government has allocated an additional $91.6 million for upgrades to the stadium’s sound, lighting, and ventilation systems. The decision to replace the roof was approved last year after over 20 years of requests from the provincial agency managing the Olympic Stadium.