The US Tennis Association unveiled bold plans Thursday for a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main court of the US Open Grand Slam.

It also laid out its intention to erect two new stadiums as part of a three-phase building project to be completed in time for the 2018 edition of the premier US tennis event.

Construction at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing is to begin soon after this year’s tournament ends in September, with the retractable roof scheduled for completion in August 2017.

News of the retractable roof will thrill tennis fans and players alike after rain forced the postponement of the US Open men’s final every year for the past five years.

“We have been working toward a viable design for a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium for more than a decade,” said US Tennis Association chairman and president Dave Haggerty.

“Through a long and arduous process, we feel that we now have a design that meets the criteria of being architecturally sound, aesthetically pleasing, reasonably affordable and buildable.”

The retractable roof – a $US100 million ($A110.24 million) guarantee that foul weather will never stop play – will consist of a flexible translucent fabric stretched over a steel frame, supported by eight steel columns surrounding the stadium.

The overall transformation in Flushing carries an estimated price tag of $US550 million ($A606.29 million), with the association footing the entire bill through a combination of bonds and revenue flow.