Indianapolis Motor Speedway "is redecorating for its biggest party ever" -- the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in '16 -- with more than $30M worth of improvements as part of a public/private partnership entitled "Project 100," according to Curt Cavin of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. The roundabout that "recently connected four city streets outside Turn 1 will gain a plaza with a wing-shaped art structure, bricks and accents in Speedway green." The designer, Indianapolis-based architect Jonathan Hess, called the area IMS' new "Kodak moment" location. The iconic front straightaway grandstand dating to the track's opening in 1909 "will get a giant makeover." The more than 13,000 seats in the upper deck of Stands A, B and E, plus the Paddock Penthouse, "will be removed and replaced; so will the roof." Gone "will be the support columns that impede views of the track." Work "begins in August after the motorcycle racing event." Track President Doug Boles said that the goal "is to make the changes blend in, which explains the use" of Hess, who "designed the pagoda, media center, trackside garages and pagoda plaza that debuted" in '00. In place of the current folding chairs and aluminum bleachers in the penthouse sections "will be stadium seating with cup holders." There "will be better access to stairways plus proper concession stands and restrooms." Elevators "will allow for ADA-compliant seating." Wi-Fi "will be available, too." The number of seats in the upper deck "will increase by about 2,100 with the addition of three top-level rows, bringing the total upstairs seat count to 15,150." With winter factored in, the construction timeline "is about five months, and that could still include new seats for the lower portion of the aforementioned stands." If that "happens, seat replacement will swell to more than 86,000, including the 2,160 seats in the Hulman Terrace Suites" (INDYSTAR.com, 5/16).
KEEPING IT ONE HUNDRED: The AP's Jim Johnson noted Project 100 is a "roughly" $90M undertaking, whose upgrades "started last offseason with the installation of large, high-definition video boards and a new LED scoring pylon on the main straightaway -- all part of the track's historic image that officials are trying to preserve." An estimated five elevators "will be added, too, for better handicapped accessibility to the sections overlooking the area between the start-finish line and the first turn of the 2.5-mile oval." Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles said that there "are plans to change some suites near the fourth turn to give them a more club-level feel" (AP, 5/16).
