The San Francisco 49ers are replacing the turf in their brand new $1.2 billion stadium less than a week after its maiden voyage, per CSN Bay Area. According to Niners Nation, the plan is to re-sod the field in time for San Francisco's game against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday so that it has more solid footing after being torn up in the 34-0 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday. Aerial photos show that most of the turf has already been removed:
49ers replacing Levi’s Stadium turf already
The 49ers’ brand new stadium is already getting new turf less than one week after its debut.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
VIDEO: Levi's Stadium sod torn up (Watch end to see what it looked like yesterday) http://t.co/hPTgSdwGKI #NFL #49ers pic.twitter.com/22XQObOy9W
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) August 21, 2014 A source familiar with the situation spoke to David Fucillo at Niners Nation about why the field had already been torn out:
A source with direct knowledge of the Levi’s Stadium field reached out to Niners Nation earlier today. The source indicated the 49ers will be patching up the field and re-sodding it as a temporary fix. We are starting to see this from the helicopter pictures. According to NN’s source, yesterday’s sod problem was due to the sand base underneath the grass. It is believed the turf was grown on the wrong type of sand, which is a major factor in growing these turfs. The comparison given to grass at a golf course, where the divet fillers are comprised of sand, fertilizer and seed.
The method of replacement is apparently similar to one done for the 2007 Rose Bowl, when two major college games were being played on the same field in less than a week. It should take roughly 10 days for the new sand base to mesh with the turf after it is replaced on Aug. 30.
The 49ers home opener against the Chicago Bears is on Sept. 14.
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