Demolition of Busch Stadium is ahead of schedule

ST. LOUIS -- Busch Stadium is coming down faster than anticipated.

When demolition of the 39-year-old home of the St. Louis Cardinals began earlier this month, team officials said the goal was to have the stadium completely demolished by late June. Now, the plan calls for having the job half done by early January, and the stadium completely gone by early March, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday.

The Cardinals move into their new home, also called Busch Stadium, next season. The first home game will be April 10 against Milwaukee.

John Loyd, the Cardinals' representative on the project, said demolition workers are separating broken concrete from twisted reinforcement rods, clearing debris and digging to meet the lower field level of the new stadium. The field at the new stadium will be four feet lower than the old one.

The construction project includes building a new stretch of Clark Avenue to rejoin Stadium Plaza and Broadway. That new block will serve as the northern boundary of the new stadium.

"The big push has been to get the south end of the stadium down and out of the way for the street construction," Loyd said. "Once that happens, a little pressure is off the demolition."