Minnesota Twins Move Into Target Field

Minneapolis, MN – Mortenson Construction gave the Minnesota Twins a big present this holiday season: early completion of their new ballpark.  Mortenson has completed all major work on the new $425 million Target Field more than two months ahead of schedule, and less than two and a half years since the official groundbreaking on August 30, 2007.  The Twins and the Minnesota Ballpark Authority received the certificate of occupancy on December 22, 2009.

“This is truly an historic day in Twins history,” said Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports, Inc.  “Considering the complexity of the site and extreme level of attention to detail in design and construction, to be complete two months ahead of schedule is a feat to be recognized and celebrated.”

The new ballpark, which sits in the Minneapolis Historic Warehouse District on the north edge of downtown between 5th and 7th Streets on 3rd Avenue North, was scheduled to be completed in March, one month before the 2010 season opener.  It is the second major Twin Cities sports facility completed ahead of schedule by Mortenson within the past year.  The first was TCF Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Golden Gopher football team, which was finished in July 2009. 

“This is an exciting moment for Twins baseball and the state of Minnesota,” said John Wood, senior vice president at Mortenson Construction. “We’re excited to hand over the keys to this beautiful new ballpark more than two months early, and we thank everyone who worked together toward the goal of making it happen.”

Target Field Construction Facts:

• Owners: Minnesota Ballpark Authority
• Sole tenant: Minnesota Twins
• Construction cost: $425 million
• Construction time: 28 months (August 2007 – December 2009)
• 40,000 seat, open-air, natural grass ballpark
• Surrounded by major downtown transportation arteries. Built over portions of I-394, Burlington Northern/Sante Fe main line track, and included the demolition/reconstruction of downtown Minneapolis' 5th Street bridge
• Ballpark size is just over 1,000,000 square feet (10.5 acres) built on an 8-acre site
• More than 2,000,000 total labor hours by more than 3,500 workers; with an 800 peak workforce
• 55,000 cubic yards of concrete, 4,600 tons of structural steel, 5,000 tons of rebar, 51 miles of piles, and 100,000 square feet, or 100 semi-truck loads, of limestone
• Exceeded women and minority workforce diversity goals (goal 30 percent, actual 33 percent)

Mortenson, one of the leading commercial contractors in the U.S., began building sports facilities more than 20 years ago and is currently ranked as the third largest builder of sports facilities in the nation.  The company has built nearly 100 sports and entertainment venues in the United States to date, including the Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul; Target Center, Minneapolis; FedExForum, Memphis; Coors Field, Denver; Pepsi Center, Denver; Sprint Center, Kansas City; ShoWare Center, Kent, Wash.; and the Camelback Ranch Glendale Spring Training Facility, Phoenix.

The company is also providing program management services on two new sports facilities in China: the Shanghai World Expo Performing Arts Center and the Guangzhou International Sports and Entertainment Center.  Both are scheduled for completion in 2010.