Blasting suspended at new VA hospital in east Louisville after rocks cause property damage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have suspended blasting indefinitely at the new Robley Rex VA Medical Center in east Louisville.

During blasting on Tuesday, fragments of sediment and rock landed on the Watterson Expressway and onto adjacent properties causing damage, according to Mike Maddox, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Maddox said work was halted "immediately" and no injuries have been reported.

Construction will resume at the $840 million site on Brownsboro Road on Tuesday, but "all blasting activities will remain suspended," Maddox said.

The U.S. Army Corps Engineers, contractors, and the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals are investigating the incident and will not blast again until "appropriate safety measures are in place."

"Public safety remains our number one priority," Maddox said.

Anyone who believes damage occurred to their home, property or vehicle is asked to contact USACE Public Affairs at LOUVAMCconstruction@usace.army.mil.

Neighbors say the daily blasting rattles homes every afternoon.

Josh Woodrow is usually at work when the blasting happens. It's an unwelcome presence just a stone's throw from his home, but it's something neighbors have gotten used to.

When Tuesday's blast sent rocks flying, the mayor of nearby Crossgate started getting phone calls at his downtown office.

"One was expressing hearing a loud boom, very out of the ordinary. Normally the blasts have been happening around 2:00, more subterranean," Mayor Kirk Hilbrecht said.

It doesn't appear anyone was hurt, but this is exactly what many Crossgate neighbors feared would happen during construction.

In 2018, the small city filed a federal lawsuit to block the project. A court ultimately sided with the VA last year, allowing it to start construction on the controversial site near the interchange of the Watterson and Brownsboro Road.

Hilbrecht told WDRB News that he was at least relieved that the Army Corps of Engineers acted quickly to suspend blasting and investigate what happened.

Even if more safety measures are put in place, Woodrow said he will be worried if a future blast sends rocks toward his house.

"Yeah, doesn't feel good that it's going on right across the street," Woodrow said. "That could've been her sleeping in there. It could've been my wife whose pregnant with our son."

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