A large piece of the support structure that will hold up the roof of the Forsyth Barr Stadium was swung into place in Dunedin yesterday - helped by a giant 400-tonne crane.
The 11m-high piece of primary truss - which will eventually connect a support column to the stadium roof - was positioned on top of one of the two 24m-high roof columns installed last month.
Contractors would spend the next few days bolting the first piece of truss to the column, Dunedin Venues Management Ltd development director Darren Burden said.
Yesterday morning's delicate operation took several hours but proceeded smoothly, he said.
Several features of the finished stadium were also added to the truss before it was lifted into place, including some of the many sports lights that would eventually illuminate the venue to 2200 lux.
The lighting met the requirements of Fifa, football's world governing body, and the International Rugby Board for high-definition television coverage of events at the venue.
The main piece of roof truss would be installed about the middle of this year, running along the front of the main south stand.
The truss would have other beams running off it, spanning the gap above the playing surface to the north stand.
The roof will be 47m high at its peak, as high as a 12-storeyed building.
- Photos by Gerard O'Brien; prints available from otagoimages.co.nz
