A lot has been going on at Providence Park this offseason.

Construction for the Portland Timbers' $55 million-plus stadium expansion project began shortly after Thanksgiving and the club remains on track to finish the upgrades by Spring 2019. The project, which was officially approved by the Portland City Council in December, is expected to add approximately 4,000 seats to the stadium.

"We continue to work feverishly," Timbers President of Business Mike Golub said. "We remain on schedule, which is exciting."

Due to the construction on the east side of Providence Park, the Timbers are scheduled to play their first five games of 2018 on the road.

The first phase of construction this offseason has focused primarily on foundational and utility work, which includes Turner Construction laying down 228 micropiles that will support the addition of three new levels and a larger roof on the east side of the stadium. The project will also include the widening of the sidewalk and the addition of a covered arcade on SW 18th Ave.

As part of the construction, the fence on the east side of the stadium and a portion of the current east side roof has been removed. The fence will be reassembled ahead of Portland's 2018 home opener in April.

Construction will continue throughout the 2018 season. A permanent massive crane will be installed in the next few weeks and the first of three new levels on the east side of Providence Park will be constructed during the season. But the Timbers have scheduled the project in phases to mitigate the impact on fans while games are played at Providence Park this year.

"There will be some rerouting of fans in the concourse, but it's not going to impact the fan experience very much," Golub said. "We'll have the stadium in a place that is obviously safe and manageable."

Along with the construction this offseason, a new FieldTurf field will be installed at Providence Park ahead of the club's 2018 home opener.

A rendering of proposed Providence Park stadium expansion.

With the project currently on schedule, the Timbers will be able to finally offer fans on their season ticket waitlist opportunities to purchase season tickets this year. The Timbers currently have more than 13,000 fans on their season ticket waitlist.

Golub said that of the approximately 4,000 new seats being added during the project, 3,000 to 3,200 will be for new season ticket holders.

Current season ticket holders will have the opportunity to renew their season tickets in early June, a month sooner than the club usually asks for season ticket renewals. In August, season ticket holders will be given the opportunity to relocate their seats to the new seats on the east side or other parts of the stadium if they so choose. After that process occurs, the Timbers will begin to offer season tickets to fans on the waitlist.

"We want to reward our waiting list folks," Golub said. "Being able to offer season tickets to at least a chunk of the 14,000 fans on the waitlist is something that we're looking forward to."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg