LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's new VA Medical Center is starting to take shape.
The ground surrounding the hospital is rocky, muddy and wet, but that's evidence of an ever-changing area around U.S. 42 and Brownsboro Road.
"It's kind of really neat to see this thing as it progresses through," Jayson McDonald, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said. "It's constantly progressing."
Crews broke ground on the hospital in 2021.
"It's never a dull moment," McDonald said.
Three years later, drivers on the Watterson Expressway can now see the bones of the project in place.
"Everything you're seeing out there right now, that's the structure as is. So now we're just trying to get all the inside complete and done," McDonald said.
Inside the exterior walls, spaces for exam rooms, clinics, surgeries, and even the lobby are also taking shape.
"If you are patient driving yourself, you come in this way. If you were coming in by ambulance, you would come in the backside,"Â Scott Hearne, also with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said.
IMAGES | Progress on the construction of Louisville's new VA Medical Center
When it is all said and done, the $840 million dollar project will have more than 100 beds and 2,000 parking spaces.
"It's really starting to come together, to tell what the different areas of the hospital and what the different rooms are," Hearne said.
Engineers took WDRB to the second floor, too.
"Everything is under one roof, where you don't have to go around town or across town or anything like that," said McDonald.
Mcdonald said what really stands out is the accessibility plans weaved throughout the project. He said there will be a modern concourse connecting both buildings, beautified hallway spaces leading to large elevators, and wide garage turning lanes close to each building.
"A lot of the green spaces and the sustainable building practices they used kind of brings those, those calming areas into the hospital," he said. "So when veterans are here to receive care, they're kind of put at ease, and really knowing that they're at the right place."
#PROGRESS | We are about to tour Louisville’s new VA Hospital on Brownsboro Road. Construction updates coming to you at 4, 5, & 6pm on @WDRBNews! pic.twitter.com/NhpjJKiUJT
— Molly Jett (@MolJett) September 26, 2024
Later this week, crews are going to start painting the new water tower blue.
"It's great to see how the city has put aside the time and effort to put a facility like that in our town, especially as a veteran, that just means that my city cares about me," McDonald said.
McDonald said there are veterans wearing hard hats, too.
"They're building, building something for themselves and for other veterans to receive that world class care that they deserve," McDonald said.
There are about 700 crew members working on-site. As of now, they are expected to be finished with construction at the beginning of 2026.
Previous Coverage:
- Free treatment for veterans with PTSD now available after $1.5 million in Kentucky funding
- Thorntons on Brownsboro Road reopens amid electrical upgrades on US 42 near new Louisville VA Hospital
- Final beam placed atop Louisville's new VA hospital in 'Topping Out' ceremony
- Veterans on-site at Louisville's new VA hospital working to ensure it's completed on time
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- Construction of Louisville's new Veterans Affairs hospital remains on track for 2026
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- Blasting remains on hold for construction at new VA hospital in Louisville
- Blasting suspended at new VA hospital in east Louisville after rocks cause property damage
- Construction begins on Louisville's new VA Medical Center after years of delays
- New images show progress on $840 million VA hospital in east Louisville
- Blasting complete at site of Louisville's new VA hospital, project officials say
- Neighbors wait for repairs as blasting set to resume next week at Louisville's future VA hospital site
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