A new parking garage at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will include rooftop athletic fields for softball, soccer, field hockey and other sports.
The university plans to break ground on the $20 million, 534-car structure in May and open it in January 2013. It will cover the site of the existing softball and baseball fields and will feature a synthetic turf field, portable bleachers to accommodate up to 300 people, and field lighting.
WPI said the new garage will allow the campus to remove parking spaces from the quad and the West Street entrance.
The university said participation in athletics has risen to 60 percent of the student body in recent years. WPI is also opening a new sports and recreation center this summer.
