The improvements at the venue, at the Eton College Rowing Centre in the shadow of Windsor Castle, started last September and included better warm-up facilities, a new 50 metre bridge at the finish line area, the upgrade of an existing gravel/stone access road within the site for use during the Games and a cut-through and new bridge between the competition lake and return lane of the 2,000 metre rowing course. 

It makes Dorney Lake the second Olympic venue to be finished, following the completion in 2008 of enhanced facilities for sailing events in Weymouth and Portland .
 
David Higgins, the chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), said: "Eton College Rowing Centre is a first-class venue and the enhancements we have now delivered will create the best possible facilities for the world’s best athletes to use in 2012.

"The completion of another 2012 venue on time and on budget is an important milestone in what is our toughest year in the project.

"With the venues at Eton Dorney and Weymouth and Portland complete and the canoe courses at Broxbourne taking shape, we are making good progress across the project, not just on the Olympic Park in East London."

Dorney Lake was already among the leading rowing venues in the world having hosted the World Championships in 2006.

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said: "Eton Dorney is a well established venue set in the heart of rowing country.

"These enhancements show our commitment to providing the best possible facilities for athletes at Games time.

"It is a world class venue that hosts elite level competition as well as community events, and is a venue of which we can all be proud."

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January 2010: Bridge lifted into place at London 2012 rowing venue
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