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Report: 80,000 square feet of UCF's Spectrum Stadium has corrosion

By Michael Lopardi
By Michael Lopardi
A new report said more than 80,000 square feet of the University of Central Florida’s Spectrum Stadium had some sort of corrosion, and some of those areas presented immediate safety concerns.
University officials said the stadium is safe and the report stated that repairs were completed before football season.
There's still more work to be done long term and it could cost the university millions of dollars.
The report found more than 1,600 "hot spots," some prompting emergency repairs in August.
“It looks so new and clean. I would never imagine there's a problem,” said season ticket holder Randy Diez. “I wouldn't expect a structure of this size to have to be rebuilt or to fail because of structural concerns.”

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Last month, the university sued the contractors who built the 10-year-old stadium alleging defects because of improper design and construction.
The report blames the rust on several factors, including improper coating.
A spokesman for UCF said the structure is safe, adding, "We are dealing with long-term repair and remediation issues, and our lawsuit is about assigning those costs. Any urgent needs have been addressed."
The university said engineers evaluated the stadium before the start of football season.
Long-term repairs could take four years and cost more than $14 million.
“The stadium looks sound to me, but I'm not an engineer,” said Diez.
The university said the repairs are not expected to impact any athletic events, and will likely be done in the offseason between February and July.

Cox Media Group

Michael Lopardi

Michael Lopardi

Michael Lopardi joined Eyewitness News as a general assignment reporter in April 2015.

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