Western Specialty Contractors – Omaha, NE Branch recently completed a project to restore the east balcony at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s iconic Memorial Stadium. The project included concrete repairs, application of a new traffic coating and installation of new handrails.
Nicknamed The Sea of Red, Memorial Stadium is a concrete and steel American football stadium located on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, NE. Primarily serving as the home venue for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the stadium was built in 1923 and has a capacity of 85,458.
The university’s Board of Regents hired Western in February 2023 to restore and waterproof the stadium’s east balcony, which was showing signs of weathering and wear and tear. Partnered with engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., the team designed repairs for the university’s historic structure to be completed in time for the fall 2023 football season.
The team conducted a thorough examination and sounding of the stadium’s east balcony to determine Western’s scope of work, which included:
- Top surface concrete repair (partial depth and full depth)
- Partial depth overhead surface repairs
- Tread full-depth repairs
- Vomitory wall demolition and infill
- Aisle step replacement
- Installation of new handrailing in the aisles
- Expansion joint replacement
- Installation of new laminated glass guardrails
- Top surface concrete repairs on the northeast and southeast towers
- Application of a LymTal traffic coating membrane at the northeast and southeast towers
- Concrete floor repairs in the men’s and women’s bathrooms
- Application of a LymTal traffic coating membrane on the bathroom floors
Access to the balcony’s work areas challenged Western’s crew. As a solution, Western’s stadium restoration experts used a stair scaffolding system and scaffold hoist, along with 8-10 rolling mobile scaffold units, to complete the balcony’s overhead concrete repairs.
The new steel guardrails were a challenge for Western craftsmen who had to adjust their size to hold new laminated glass expertly.
The $2.1 million stadium restoration project was completed in August 2023, to the university’s satisfaction, and in time for the team’s first home game on September 16.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for over 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing, and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures, including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology.